Innocent Love
by Avrille Nordlicht
Summary: In some freak accident, The Kazekage Gaara transforms back to a child. Medical prodigy Sakura brings him back bit by bit with a responsibility as his mother. But as he grows his perspectives of her changes slowly into something more..
1. His first Sound

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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**Stitches and Haruno productions presents:**

"Innocent Love"

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"**His First sound"**

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**LAND OF FIRE - KONOHA:** **Leaf Country/Konoha Honsha Headquarters**/**Hokage's Office**/**9:00 AM**

After coming from another fruitless mission searching for her ex, namely Uchiha Sasuke; the pink long haired kunoichi would rather spend her mere one day break, hanging out with her friends. It was bad enough that she had to look for a guy who she would rather ignore and forget for the rest of her life, or at least give him a good bashing before surrendering him to Konoha. But she had to look for the arrogant jerk without Naruto, who had to go through training with Giraya-sama in order to physically drag the pompous Uchiha idiot when the timing is more appropriate.

And so she had to withstand the terrain of the village hidden in the rocks, where the idiot raven haired fool was said to have been spotted. But just like last time she numerously tried to reach Sasuke's whereabouts, she got to the location too late to even catch up. If she could describe the last four days that she had to go through, she would describe them to be long and torturous. There was no sunny blonde comedian on an orange jumpsuit, or any of her friends for the matter, to brighten those exhausting on-foot hikes to Iwagakure. So she should add dull and boring into the mix.

Every nerve in her body is screaming for some unwinding, her bones feel like they could break any minute if she wouldn't get a decent ounce of sleep in a nice soft mattress, her feet is close to becoming callous pads if she skips that foot spa that she scheduled with the girls this afternoon. But instead of finding instant rest after passing the gates of her home village, a pair of Anbu informed her to report to headquarters. They didn't even mention anything about the sole reason why she was called to report directly to the Hokage this morning.

All she was instructed to do was to wait for Tsunade's orders. Usually they would inform her ahead of time so she could at least prepare for the meeting. But apparently the topic to be discussed can be as trivial to the point that it was just the usual early update, or as important as to be participating in another mission or two. Unfortunately for her, she seems destined to do the latter. And so after listening intently to get the meeting over with, Sakura looks at her sensei in a wayward manner; biting her lip, having trouble trying not to say what was in her troubled and stricken mind.

Anxiously she folds her leg to rest on top of the other, extending the tip of her strapped heels and momentarily clicking them on the foot of her chair. Instead of shouting out all her thoughts in an abrupt and destructive way, she sighs and closes her eyes, and then sighs some more. She gives her hair a swift side flip to make her more comfortable and less fractious, before carefully bringing her hands to rest and on the long edge of the table, giving the Hokage a serious look.

"So you're telling me that I am going all the way to Suna right after a perilous mission, just to take care of a child?" She wanted to repeat her would-be predicament as civil as possible, but she could not help but bring out her own thoughts about such an unprofessional idea. She figured since it was such an informal proposal, it would be appropriate to react in a way that is unethical as well. Tsunade gives a rather impish look which just makes her more frustrated and determined to null this assumed responsibility. She sips some tea, not forgetting to bring it back unto the desk noisily.

"You're kidding right?" Sakura continues to question the old woman quite numbly, not expecting a decent answer.

"No, I'm not." Her master nonchalantly responds, amused that she manages to push her apprentice's creeping anger on purpose.

The clay tea cup Sakura held in her hands instantly broke into a thousand pieces. Trying to reduce her growing rage, she grips on the crystal table in a way that made the wooden poles of support crack in response. The glass surface shatters along with its ailed legs, making a web of contortion drive into the untouched area of the table. At first she was withdrawn, showing a blank face as she observes the broken furniture that died easily on her grasp. Hearing the hokage's heightened voice got her to react more appropriately, dreading the possibility of another reduced pay check:

"Sakura… This is the fourth desk that you have ruined already!" Tsunade immediately changes into a pissed-off mood. However, from observing the girl's now troubled face, Tsunade realized that she can use this situation to her benefit. She reverts into a pouting and baby like gesture, holding unto the now broken desk like it was her favourite toy in the world. "I expensively imported this overseas…" She rubs her cheek on the now broken wooden furniture. "Oh well." Sarutobi makes a foxy grin and karate chops the rest of it into dust.

Sakura was startled and confused at first, but is not as indignantly surprised as other individuals would be. After years of being under such an insane dictator as her medical consultant, she has gotten used to the older woman's way of reasoning things out. She admits that Tsunade is a medical genius and therefore anyone should be honoured to work with her; but judging from her experiences, her sensei is usually an unpredictable and an uncontrollable bitch. "Now you're gonna pay for it. With your pay check." The elderly woman simply informs, like it is a usual practice to take a certain person's money.

The pink haired kunoichi groans in irritation, grimacing as she thinks about the payment of her apartment that was long overdue. It was bad enough that she had to hide from her landlord this morning, but doing it for the next four weeks will be truly bothersome. Yes, the landlord doesn't seem to mind as much if she extended her pay day to another additional month, but intimidating the poor man with unnatural physical properties is low and quite manipulative. "H-how much was it?" Sakura's eyebrows twitch unconsciously.

"Oh… it'll take most of your A missions, but since you haven't done a lot it'll take the whole year." Her sensei tells her like such a punishment is not too difficult.

"What? How could that be? The tables you had before weren't that much expensive, this is only partly my fault. You're the one who bought such expensive furniture to begin with!" Sakura complains, blaming the Hokage for her actions.

"So what? Is it bad to have a bit of high class now and then?" Tsunade shrugs.

'_**How can she afford such expensive shit anyways?'**_And then the sudden impact of realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Sakura's worried face immediately turns to a frown as she points at the innocent looking Hokage. "No.. there is something oddly suspicious about this…" The pink haired kunoichi points out, arching her brow, well aware of the significance of her sensei's folded arms. She could tell there was something hidden in that wry smile of this old fox.

"Whatever do you mean?" Tsunade blinks showing glassy looking eyes.

"You! Did this on purpose, didn't you? There is no way you would buy such a thing with all the debts that you have to pay! I bet this table was a gift or something!"

'_**You, who have been drowning in debt… that you repeatedly ask me to treat you mere takoyaki!'**_

_"_What are you talking about? Why would I go through all the trouble for something such as asking you pay such an incredible amount for nothing?" Tsunade flips her hair and looks out unto the scenery of the bustling village, trying to look hurt and insulted. Though her young apprentice tries a straight face, she but could not hide her now lower expectations for her supposed merciful and competent sensei. "Of course, the whole thing will be forgotten if you can do me this one favour.."

From that Haruno could tell where this is going. It was that familiar generic sentence that she has heard for many times now. To the point that from the very start of the intonation of the older woman's voice, she knew what words were coming out of her mouth before the senior medic could say it. Ahh yes, after that signature shrug is that signature shifting of conniving hands. Telling the whole word that the wise old woman is about to win her biggest bet yet. "Nothing you say…" Sakura gives her a murderous look.

"I know you're tired from you're last mission, Sakura, but this is an immediate need of response for our most important clients… this mission is worth more than a dozen A ranked missions." The Hokage reasons, sitting down with a serious face while going to a serious Hokage business mode. "After you're done with this you wouldn't have any trouble with paying the table, and maybe even your other future expenses.. of destroyed valuables, that is. Plus, you will be rewarded handsomely not only in costs but also in status." Tsunade continues.

'_**Most important clients?..Worth more than a dozen A ranked missions?..'**_ She repeats mentally. Sakura cannot help but to widen her eyes in disbelief. She just finished the med-nin academy program a year ago, not to mention getting her head intern in the Konoha General Hospital position later on. That is not much to get around, even if she is doing splendidly well gathering remarkable reputation. She still does not have enough experience to merit such a high responsibility. There is, of no doubt, a merit for her in this mission, unless there are big consequences involved.

And unless it started raining shirukens and kunais, those big consequences lead to trouble and more trouble. Sakura shakes her head to wake herself up from the shock. _**'These benefits are too great, even for me.' **_ She logically concludes. Tsunade offering such a bet would just make the idea even more atrocious when you consider it more accurately. "No way, there is got to be a catch." She finally replies, knowing that she is stating the wise and the obvious. After counting the votes on whether such an offer can actually be possible, she decides to withdraw sensibly.

"No catch." Tsunade simply replies, tossing her a black coloured mission scroll.

As soon as she saw a flash of an ominous looking noir tube like object, she had no choice but to close her eyes as she winced out of nature; feeling a great instinct to do so. She hoped that when she closed her eyes and then opened them again, she would find that the scroll would just be the average rouge red colour of an A mission or a navy blue of a B mission. But she was wrong. The dim dye graces on her hands like a fragile scroll of coal, think and heavy against her skin. "This is… a Sanin mission." Her fingers shiver from the feel of black paper.

"Yes it is." Tsunade proudly proclaims, resting hands on her hips and giving a smug grin.

"This is… This is supposed to be your mission, Sensei!" Sakura tosses it back to old blonde, hitting her sensei's head with a loud hollow yet blunt sound.

"Geez Sakura, Why do you have to be so violent to your own Master?" Tsunade grumbles as she holds unto her now bruised forehead, taking back her seat after being knocked down by an acceptable blow.

"Because you taught me to be violent, Idiot!" She couldn't stand the lady's nuisance actions sometimes, and perhaps she blames her own regrettable action from such hereditary-like mannerisms.

"What did you say?" Tsunade pulls Sakura by the collar.

"I said idiot, you idiot master!" Sakura shouts back, not intimidated by her teacher. Not willing to back down. And she never did in every previous instance, unless required maturely to do so. This is something that they deal with quite often after all, and they manage to stick with minimum disasters..on occasions. Well, unless someone authoritative enough would but in to tell them to set aside their difference, then perhaps it is more than possible.

"Now, now. This is not the time to fight, the both of you!" Tsunade's other apprentice goes between the two of them, trying to avoid another building of ruins.

"Oink!" Ton Ton doesn't seem to be too pleased as well at the idea of them getting at each other's throats at this hour; although the piece of bacon would usually like to enjoy a good laugh now and then.

"Because of your distinct behaviours, the both of you are drowning in debts!" Shizune announces, bringing thick books jammed with receipts and all sorts of papers that require cash to be settled down by much needed money to slap on both of their faces. The two women cringe from pure fear and detest as they are being forced to face their individual recorded accounts of the debts that they are still unable to pay.

"Oink!" Says the pet pig of the hokage, wise beyond its animalistic limitations, caring enough to know that without money would mean a future barbequed hog.

Tsunade sighs. "You're right, Shizune." She says, trying to get composure, she pats her clothes like she is dusting out dirt that came from a brawl. "Anyway you, Sakura, have to do my supposed mission. And as of now, this is mandatory. I cannot accept the mission for obvious reasons."

"Er.." Sakura raises a finger to point to question what she just said. "I am the Hokage of Konoha, Teme! With such a big out of the question reason, of course I cannot accept it!"

"R-right.." Haruno then meekly brings her finger down.

"Now then, you will be escorted by Suna's prime minister herself. So you better show up." The Hokage informs without much delay.

"What? Why so fast? And the prime minister, Temari? Is this mission _that_ important?" The pink haired kunoichi questions.

"Yes! And so if you fail, it will rest on the village's shoulders!" Tsunade threatens. Having a conversation with the Prime Minister of Suna herself is already considered an honour, as well as a small chance of consideration, given by her considerably overly brimmed schedule. To actually have more than an hour with Temari is enough to call out the media for extensive documentation. This meant that this is of urgent importance for someone like her to spend her precious time just to look over this rather random and seemingly insignificant case.

**Gulp. **Haruno is not someone who would not turn down any responsibility that is given to her, just as long as such requests are clearly in need of attention. But this this is something that she has to think about with time. At least an hour or so to settle with the idea for such a task is quite heavy to rest on her shoulders, analyzing how she could take it instead of getting choked out from struggling to barely lift out of the ground. It was like taking an exam that might cost your life, if not careful.

"So… as my apprentice… as my representative… Do not fail." Tsunade says in a dark manner before nodding to her other apprentice who passes her Ton Ton to hold unto.

"Do your best Sakura." Shizune apologetically smiles while assisting the now bewildered woman who is too shocked to react, out of the Hokage's office.

"I can't believe this… She is so cruel!" Sakura complains as they walk through the hallway.

"Well, she does have her reasons. It's best not to know what those reasons are." The fellow apprentice reasons, patting her by the shoulder, hoping that she got her colleague to at least calm down without getting too focused enough to go back and protest.

"I guess you're right." Sakura understands that very well, knowing her own sensei's methods in the past. _**'What is that sinister idiotic master scheming about now?'**_She sighs, wondering just how far this 'plan' of hers will go. "I better get home and start packing…again." Sakura says in a sorrowful tone.

"Oh there is no need! All your belongings are delivered to Suna. It would probably get there as soon as you arrived!" Shizune reports to her happily.

"What? You mean ALL of my belongings?" The green-eyed medic questions. When she heard those words that were supposed to ease her, she didn't look as comfortable as expected. The short black haired woman nods reluctantly, regretting that she mentioned it so freely. "H-how long do I have to be in Suna?" Sakura predictably asks.

"Well, erm…as long as it takes." Shizune winces, knowing that the pink kunoichi's voice is just going to get louder and louder.

"WHAT?" Sakura stops walking, tension driving all over her body.

The short black haired woman had to push her towards the exit just so she could keep going without consent. "Anyway, see you soon!..Hopefully..um..never mind..Have a nice trip!"

"Wait Shizune! This is-"

"Bye!" The short black haired kunoichi happily waves and closes the doors abruptly. "Phew, another building saved." She whispers, nailing the entrance shut, while Sakura is knocking furiously behind.

"I can't believe any of this!" The pink kunoichi moans as she brings herself unto her knees. She hits the concrete floor with her fist, the rubble of her destruction flying everywhere.

"Um excuse me, Sakura; after you're done, can we get going now?" A blonde four-ponytailed girl comes out from behind, smiling at her nervously.

Haruno could not believe her eyes when they landed on the foreign minister who she was expecting to confront only in a later hour. But she ends up meeting up with her, just after minutes of her excruciatingly brief evaluation of her mission. "Temari, you're here already?! This is unbelievable!" Sakura stands from her dejected position. She feels confused and frustrated. It has been a while since she felt the nausea of dealing with a situation that she cannot control on her own. In fact, the last time that she felt like puking was when she had to go through the licensure exams.

And before that, was the time when she was still the emotional preteen who was head over heels in love with an Uchiha snob who decided to play with her feelings, before he would leave to achieve his selfish whim. But in comparison, they were nose bleeding endeavours that she prepared for ahead of time. All nighters prepared her for the examinations, nagging seniors made her tough as steel, while taking the rightful honour of breaking up with Sasuke got her back to her senses. She still had a strategy, she still had a plan. However, nothing would prepare her for this kind of obligation.

"This better be good, Temari." She said in a somewhat threatening yet still respectful voice, looking at her from below with a dead serious face.

The blonde grins nervously in return."I'm sorry that this all so sudden, just coming out of a perilous mission and all. But this is really important. And we wouldn't have asked if we couldn't handle it, you know that right?" She brings out her giant fan. "Don't worry; I'll answer all your questions as soon as we get going." The blonde taps the base of her fan on the ground thoroughly, briefly looking for any sort of damage that may hinder their travel. And without consulting her future passenger, she started unravelling the large wings of the aircraft to take flight in any minute now. No, in any second at that.

"What about now? Can't we answer it NOW?" Sakura could not help but notice the Sand Nin tighten her grip on the protective boards of the flying apparatus, disgruntled by the words she mentioned.

"NO!" Temari shouts in an emotional and demanding voice, surprising Sakura quite a bit. With self-disappointment and frustration written all over her face, she lowers down her tired glare and calms herself down before she would answer the confused kunoichi properly. She let out a much needed heave, combing her bangs quite forcibly to rest on the top of her head before she releases them again only to fall back on her angst ridden face. She probably wanted to whine about the situation so much as well, but she had neither choice nor the luxury to do so.

"No… We don't have the time. We must to get there as soon as possible." The Prime Minister of Suna tells this as she opt her machine to float lowly in mid-air, high enough to get moving and yet pliable for someone to get on it manually. She then let out her hand towards the stiff woman, beckoning her to hop aboard like it is the most natural thing to do in the world. "We have to get there before he disappears!" A slight tremor that cannot be caused by hovering in unstable ground can be heard by Temari's notion, filled with dread and haste.

And then her usually confident blue eyes started to paint a rare pleading gesture to the young Med Nin. "Please Sakura… Please…" She says in a more quiet voice, hoping not to sound too vexed.

Sakura had to clamp her resistant mouth after that unforeseen desperate gesture. With a quick nod of agreement that she fully discerns her old friend's incongruous plea, she steps unto the vehicle with an athletic leap, landing gracefully on one edge of the fan. The pink kunoichi's reply was obvious, silently taking her seat behind her without making another fit about it. And within seconds, she holds on tight as they go soaring through the air. "Temari… what is going on?" The konoha girl enquires in a polite way, minutes after their take off.

"I don't know, Sakura, I have no clue at all…" The blonde sand kunoichi keeps her eyes, focused on the distant horizon. Sakura can see worry written all over her face, anxiety has been putting her complexion through hell. "Who is this kid anyway? How ill could the kid be?" Haruno asks, knowing that it would be the most plausible reason why she or Tsunade would be called for.

"A kid who is very ill and in danger, He is in a life or death situation as we speak." Temari informs.

'_**Must be a son of a very important high official…'**_Sakura assumes. She was about to question the blonde about whether the patient is a boy or a girl. But more important matters, which were mentioned after 'HE', demands more attention than clearly knowing the gender of whom that she would be assessing. "Wait, what do you mean by life and death? Why didn't we hear of this earlier?" She mentions this without being too frantic, looking at the woman directly as much as possible.

"Because we didn't think it would be this way in such a short time, it only started 3 days ago." The blonde answers as best as she can without leaving the fan to swerve into a different direction.

"Three days? What could possibly make him be in that condition in 3 days?" Sakura reacts in a hushed tone, trying to recall any major and prominent illnesses that would depict such effects.

"We don't know… It's because of the dim-witted sand council! Because of them…He might be taken away from me…" Temari's words trails off, trembling and shattered.

The pink haired kunoichi's fruitless attempt to deduct the shortlisted symptoms is disturbed, by the impression of finding this patient to have more than a professional relationship with the blonde. Sakura looks at her navigator seriously as she states her assumption: "Temari… Is he your baby? Why didn't yo-"

"No, of course not!" The blue-eyed blonde retorts, before Sakura can even proclaim such a ridiculous conclusion. "It's my brother, Gaara."

Sakura gasps.

"Don't even go there! It's not what you think!"

"What then?" Haruno then asks.

"It's hard to explain, you'll understand when you see him." Temari tells to her.

"Well, he better have one hell of a face to make me understand anything that is going on." Sakura said with scepticism, finding it hard to believe that she would find out about someone's background by merely glancing at their features.

Temari laughs darkly without looking away from the horizon, much to the unfaltering curiosity of Sakura; telling the girl in an unfulfilling way that would only feed the mystery that revolves around this urgent and troublesome case, "You have no idea." The sand kunoichi ominously replies.

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**LAND OF WIND: Desert Country**/**Kaze keisen - Wind Frontier**/**3rd Region, 2nd Border**/**4:00 PM**

After a few hours of sleeping off a safe and flat canvas of the large vehicle, the pink haired woman wakes up from the rigid bed that is but light frames of wood and hopefully adequately thick paper, looking down at the far cloud-free plains where she can see that they have already reached the desert. At the direction of the setting sun, they are now approaching the walls of Suna, and behind it she can see the Kazekage's tower. She notices Temari is starting to struggle, worn-out from wasting a lot of her energy.

Bringing her a hand to rest on each of the blonde's sullen shoulders, she emits a bluish revitalizing glow to radiate unto the chi-less blonde woman's body, making her heal and regain some of her needed stamina.

"You okay?" Sakura asks carefully.

"I'm not used to two people when I ride this thing; it eats up most of my endurance. But we can get there so please save your strength." Temari informs Sakura, so as not to make her worry any further, but her words doesn't help.

"Well, you're not used to riding 1000 miles non-stop either." Sakura says, but she obliges to her friend's need for extended effort.

After a small pause of awkward silence, she decides to reflect on what she has to face as soon as the reach their destination. _**'Sigh… What am I doing… in this desert city?'**_ She cannot recall her fuzzy conversation with Konoha's Hokage well, and since she does not want to make Temari any more stressed than she is now, she has to deduct the little facts given to her. But unfortunately she could not take long with her thoughts, seeing as she will soon face the situation. The dunes look shallower as they dip down gently to civilization, the weight of responsibility dawning to her even more.

"Temari.." She decides it is best to get answers that may hint her to what she must, questions that would not stress but to give some needed relief on to the both of them. She needs a background, and the blonde needs. "This mission that was given to me is a Sanin ranked mission. Chūnins like me are not supposed to have such tasks, because they are dangerous jobs to begin with, things like this doesn't involve one village, this involves the country." Sakura informs casually.

"And? Don't tell me you're chickening out." Temari answers with a quiver, wishing that the girl would do the latter.

"I'm just saying that..this is pretty serious work, isn't it?" The pink haired kunoichi ignores the idea that she was considered as someone without a back bone, knowing that her ally would not ridicule her that way without feeling a bit apprehensive.

Temari quietly nods. "Forgive me for assuming that you are a coward." The sand nin tells Haruno with genuine regret.

"A chicken coward." Sakura jokes with a smile, telling the blonde that she accepts both the answer and the discreet way of apologizing.

Now on top of the village, they gently circle the large tower, arriving in a stumbling like manner unto the roof top. After a while of just sitting, Sakura patiently tends to Temari who is now breathing heavily, exhausted from the journey. "Even though I am second rank to Tsunade-sensei, my best is abnormal. And when I say I'll do my best… I really do the best I can. Don't worry…" She gives a determined smile."Your efforts won't go to waste." Haruno reassures.

"Well it better not." Temari says in an irritated manner; but realizing her mistake, she hit her forehead with her hand. "I'm sorry." The rather moody blonde says repentantly. "It's just that for the past three days, me and my brother have been through a lot and well those words are sort of a bittersweet kind of relief."

'_**Why am I being deprived of information lately?' **_She could ignore the fact that Temari is not being her calm playful self; it's the history that would make the woman so not herself that demands the attention. For such a high occupations such a Prime Minister and General, to devote time solely for this is to devote a possible calamity. The world is out of place with these unforeseen circumstances, and anyone with an inkling of intellect would normally want to know why. "Okay… I have no idea what this is all about but-" Sakura is interrupted yet again.

"You'll find out soon enough." Temari aims the plane directly down at the landing site. As soon as the Sandnin's feet touched the ground, she secures her large fan on her back with a quick click; and then runs, while dragging their disgruntled konoha guest from the roof of the Kazekage tower, to the growing apocalypse that is happening below.

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**LAND OF WIND - SUNA: ****Suna Headquarters/Sunakagure Watchtower/4:30 PM**

"What the fuck is keeping them so damn long?" He taps his black leather sandals noisily on the thick solid bricks of the Kazekage Tower viewpoint, sucking anxiously on his cigar like it would help him calm him more than normally inhaling oxygen. Throwing the well spent nicotine-less paper butt from his mouth, he takes another stick that was hiding from his hood, and then proceeds to light it with a twitch as he numbly states to his oblique situation, "This sucks." He states in an irritated manner, describing the situation that they are in.

"General! General!" A couple of guards, followed by some apprehensive looking Sand Medics, shout at him; recklessly heading his way with what seems to be either a meaningless recognition of fake news or perhaps faintly a chance of the real thing. "The Kazekage's condition is getting worst! What are we going to do?" One of the leading medics asks him desperately.

"What?" The rather shady yet sarcastic looking character shouts back in frustration, trying to distract himself, by busily attempting to get his well-spent lighter to gleam enough to puff a smoke before they reach him. Unfortunately, the supposedly gas-filled container could not even produce a decent spark. It has finally run out of combustible liquid. He curses at the wind before turning to hesitantly take in more assumedly depressing news. "You imbeciles! And you call yourselves med nins?!" Konohamaru questions the group. "General!"Another one of the north point sentinels comes over, out of breath.

"What is it this time? This better be good!" The hooded man shouts.

"The Minister and The Konoha Med-nin, Sakura Haruno, have arrived." The man said in a prompt note, knowing that this is the well-awaited news that he was terrorizing them for.

"Finally." He says with a sigh of relief, throwing down his vice and then stomping it on the ground as a small celebration. He makes his way down from the tower to the headquarters, to meet with his important guests. Usually he would take his time to meet with visitors, heck he'd rather avoid them altogether. But this time, pushing his disgruntled employees who looked just as reassured as he is that help is soon on the way, he wouldn't miss meeting up with them for the world. Not even for a dozen boxes of the best quality Hamaki in the Kinen District of Suna.

Sakura and Temari walk through the halls and it is like a heavy storm has been lifted from the building. Seeing them walk through the halls like they were a pair of pure light that would brighten suffocating darkness, Kankuro feels like his worries and ill temper are finally going away. Anxiety etched by his shady rimmed eyes, constant cold sweat and unruly hair; it's hard to believe that a general would stress out like this other than the apprehensions of war. "Where is he?" Sakura asks without any needed formalities, wanting to work on this as soon as possible.

"He is facilitated on the Kimitsu Sekushon Wing, follow me and walk quickly." The General assist the girls by standing in front of them and then walking towards the appropriate direction.

Although Sakura thought that she was being lead to an isolated looking hallway, a side door opens out of nowhere, hidden by white walls. They are then greeted formally by burly looking men of all sorts, from well-known Anbu to highly recommended Jounin, who are guarding what seems to be yet another chamber residing in the other side of the walls. The group move forward steadily, reaching the front of impossibly penetrable large thick steel doors of the room. "Sir, Wait!" They are about to go inside when the one of the Anbu guarding the doors block their way.

"Whatever it is, it will just have to wait. We have more important matters to handle here!" Kankuro scolds.

"No one must enter before leaving all weaponries and other properties unto us, this is stated by the sand council respectfully, General." The Suna guard informs.

"...What?" Kankuro questions quietly, somewhat murderously threatening.

"Even the high officials are required to do so, forgive us for the intrusion." The Sand Nin humbly bows low, sorrowed as well by informing them about this new regulation.

_**'The Kazekage's current perspective to this matter is in such conditions?' **_Sakura knows that Gaara No Sabaku is a very serious man, but to go to such an extent to leave an individual weaponless for any high official. That is a sign of great vulnerability. Sakura looks at the two siblings who are now filled with dread and concern, the thought of this person being so defenceless is strange and new to them. _**'This clearly does not involve just any other high official at all…' **_She deducts, before proceeding to surrendering her gear without a word.

"Sakura?" Temari watches numbly as the pink haired woman surrenders her pack and other objects strapped on her to the guard with no protest.

"If the Kazekage is asking us to do this much, then we better get in with no remorse, right?" She gives a persuasive smile. The siblings sadly agreed, giving up their heavy gear, the bits and pieces clanging noisily unto the floor. As soon as they had everything off, designated people had to check on them before they could step away from the doors. While they were being assessed, no one except the blonde saw Kankuro's heavily dejected features, signalling a warning to Temari that the circumstances are even worse than the last time that his sister was here.

"Whatever you see in there, Sakura..just don't give up, okay?" The blue-eyed blonde cautions to the pink haired woman, and also probably cautioning herself. Sakura nods slowly, not sure how to react with that sort of suggestion. Kankuro jogged to the entrance unrestrained, opening the rigid doors without delay.

This is undeniably the isolated section of the Kazekage Headquarters, only used solely for a rare time when someone who is revered as a leader of Suna is to be kept so as to preserve life and inhibit absolute safety. It is a floor completely submerged underground, with somewhat blinding artificial lights that make up for the lack of natural light. Sakura, brushing one hand numbly at one of the brick walls, could feel the stone to be not exactly stone at all. They are walking on a place made entirely out of sand, only it was strangely pigmented in a pale colour, roughly polished to gleam like marble.

Perhaps as this place is the last line of dire defence to use for enemies, by the one who can wield sand, but that is just her guess.

She was informed that there is but one room in this basement floor. The Konoha Nin could not help but wonder at first, why they have to walk on such a long hallway when they could just link that one room from the start of the chamber. But the Anbu who followed them answered her question. Before they could even take one step into the hallway, the Sand Nin pressed some sort of button that required a designated code. She didn't have to guess what that one particular execution had to do, with this unreasonable need to walk slowly.

The hallway is surely a death path wherein a series of traps and all sorts have been hidden and paused just so that they could walk through with ease and out of intentional danger. At the end of the hall was a thick slab of stone that automatically opened as soon as their weight was measured, revealing an open and chaotic space. In the room are four or five Sand Medics scurrying all over the place and arguing amongst themselves. Machinery is everywhere, from an emergency defibrillator to a Semi-Auto MG-34.

As soon as the inhabitants saw Sakura, they approach her like she is the most awaited saviour of their predicament. Their concerns does not interest her however, not as much as this sophisticated place, that is clearly not the usual kind medical facilities she sees in even the most highly esteemed hospitals. But what really catches Sakura's attention is the incubator area. In the conditioning apparatus, that can be observed in a wall of glass that screens out all the noise and problems where everyone is making from the outside, she finds the machine's content to be an outstanding sight.

"I..I thought we were dealing with a child?" She manages to bring up after leaning on the transparent wall intently.

"A toddler." Temari corrects, coughing it out like it was a bitter nostalgic definition for the child in front of them. "Well, he was a toddler before I left. The duration of his transformation is getting faster than expected." The blonde combs her hair irritably, telling Sakura that what she is looking at right now is not a good sign.

"What do you mean by transformation?" The konoha nin brings her hand on the glass, watching the tiny creature struggle from something that seems to be invisible.

Sakura walks out from the deafening room, followed by Temari, leaving Kankuro strangling one of the medics who just told him the deteriorating status of the patient. Going into the smaller separated room filled with tubes and machines here and there, directing on only one isolated and environment restricted container, she bends and peers in closer, in awe at how small he really is. The small bed is rather large for the little thing, the blankets heavy while the tubes snaking around him are probing painfully.

She could not take in easily, the image and sound of the small child breathing through a prominent blue tube that struggles to provide him with oxygen when his lungs could only take so little. The boy's skin is sickly pale and translucent, to the point that she can see the tiny little veins branching faintly on his hands and head. His thin eyelids are closed, and therefore she could not see his eyes. A flushed colour blushes on what was left of his plump cheeks. The boy's lips are pursed, like he wants to say something but knows that he possibly couldn't.

Sakura carefully opens the mass protecting the child from the dangers of the world, as Temari watches attentively beside the young woman who is currently observing her little brother. Meanwhile, at the other side of the glass, the medics and Kankuro are making odd noises; reacting loudly at the questionable actions the pink haired kunoichi is doing. _**'This high official is…'**_ She slowly but carefully touches his small patchy red dull hair, and then strokes his delicate cheek.

The bundle of nerves reacts immediately, a frown forming on the little forehead. His hands are then trying to reach out to wherever that touch came from, reaching aimlessly while moving back and forth. He seems to be profusely unaware of his surroundings and looked rather uncomfortable as he tries to search for something, anything to make it all go away. "The high official..The Kazekage..he..he is.."

**Gaara.**

**.**

* * *

**.**

SUNA: Suna Headquarters**/Secret Basement Division/Suna Private Intensive Care**/**4:40: PM**

"Yes… he's Gaara." Temari finishes for her, stating the girl's dreaded conclusion in a louder note; somewhat reassuring herself as well that this is truly her brother.

"He's so… small." The pink haired kunoichi with her little finger gives him something to hold on, this made him calmer and at as much yet as little strength, he holds on like it is the only thing that is keeping him alive.

"But he's cute, isn't he?" The blonde with four tails on her head answers nervously, failing in lightening up a burdening mood.

"Temari… tell me… now… what is going on?" Sakura looks away from the entrancing child and gives her an apprehensive look.

The Suna Prime Minister sighs and tries to control her anger.

"If they just left him alone it wouldn't be this way. He wouldn't be in this condition in the first place if they hadn't-" Temari pauses, looking at the small weak creature.

"What did they do to him?" Haruno asks directly, encouraging the blonde to focus back unto the conversation, knowing the urgency of the situation.

"Gaara has his issues… you know that right? So they wanted to do something about it, he was trying very hard to change… but it just wasn't good enough for them." The blonde tells, on the verge of tears.

"They made him drink some kind of drug; stuff that wasn't his usual meds was given to him without permission." Kankuro answers for his sister from the background, coming out of the opposite side of the glass. "The idiots of Sand Council made the wrong move by giving such a heinous task to the medical morons here and before we know it, Gaara's body was freakin' out all over the place. We tried everything to stop him from getting any younger but it just keeps on getting worse." He then pulls a medic that was hiding from behind his back.

The anguished man then bows repeatedly, asking forgiveness from the three until the General ordered him to get to the point."W-we were ordered to give him a trauma diminishing drug, using the Village Hidden in the Mist's Temporary Memory Loss Concoction called 'Omoide o ushinau'. Gulp. I-it was supposed to suppress all the disturbing memories that the K-Kazekage had during his childhood, nearly numbing them to react more efficiently to conditions in a way that would not be so destructive… b-but it backfired for some apparent reason." The scared medic nin explains.

"Well, that seems plausible…" The young Konoha Med Nin fairly projects, well aware of the potion distinctly used by the people of the Mist to inhibit memory loss for strangers who have ventured on the village. However, such a mild technique does not give any physical harm to the victim of the concoction. "But I don't think such medication can affect him as much as this. The Omoide o Ushinau's inhibited conditions when used excessively should only last for a few hours or so, with not so drastic side effects…" Sakura deliberates, knowing that the abuse of a drug can lead to consequences.

Such a harmless mix of chemicals used only for outsiders to forget the location of the Hidden in the Mist Village, after they have ventured in the forbidden land, would not make a patient degenerate in a physical manner. Perhaps the individual will be deemed mentally unstable when used in large amounts. But there are no indications of such a potion that would be similar to the symptoms of the child. The use of that particular drug is not evidentially present in the patient. "Unless..If you were aiming to permanently erasing his memories from the past, you must have created a hybrid of the drug." Haruno suggests.

And from that very reasonable and factual note pointed out by Tsunade's apprentice, the Suna medic starts to sweat and avoid their confused and bewildered looks. Judging from the med-nin rookie's insecure reaction to what Sakura suggested. What the pink haired kunoichi said is potentially true. "You're hiding something, aren't you?" Kankuro pulls him by the collar and gives a stern defiant stare.

"You better spit it out or you'll regret it…" Temari threatens.

"W-we didn't get all the necessary information for the other ingredients to the concoction. We t-thought that if we made something more potent than the 'Omoide o ushinau', it would also suppress any more misbehaviour from h-his dormant traumas completely. So we consulted in all sorts of reference and well…" The Sand Nin winces, covering his face, knowing that he will be going through hell.

Sakura can't believe her ears. Hearing such an atrocious explanation is actually giving her a nauseating headache. It is common sense not to mix an already completed drug with any other factors, no matter how much or how little research is conducted for the possible additive. To change the given system of a drug requires proper research for further development to become a whole different drug that is distinctly different from the based original. To consider such a complex concoction as a completely different goal for the body is considered unethical and medical profession suicide.

Every Country or Village Hospital, Sanin Medic, Medic, Intern Medic knows that. It's common sense as any sane medical professional. Perhaps that's it. Perhaps they weren't sane in the first place. This is a poor mistake for medics to do. "Have you lost your minds?! Why would you use an unauthorized hybrid treatment? Have you forgotten that every new medication should undergo assessment by a third party before they are even considered usable for a patient?! What you have done is unethical and illegal!" Haruno comments loudly.

"Because they didn't have brains in the first place…" Kankuro tightens his grip on the guy. "If my brother dies…I'll have your head." He threatens the medic.

"I-it was an accident, I swear! That was supposed to be just an experimental batch; there was no way we would give something out of the ancient texts. We really weren't supposed to give it to him until we tested it first. But one of our staff didn't read the label properly and we gave that drug instead. I am truly very sorry! Please spare me!" The Suna Med begs.

"Was it from the archives?" Temari asks. The bewildered man nods. "That will take days to get through…" The blonde Suna Minister comments in despair.

"You! This all your fault!" Kankuro shakes the medic nin out of anger. "How dare you people touch even one hair from his head!" The General's voice thundered throughout the room.

Then they hear a loud heart breaking cry afterwards. Gaara awakened from his unbearable slumber, tears rolling down from his small face.

"Now look what you did! You woke him up!" Temari scolds, hitting her brother in the head.

"Hey! Don't blame me! I wasn't the one wh-" Kankuro is interrupted by his sister.

"Stop shouting, now is not the time to panic!" Sakura looks at the monitor beside the incubator, his vitals reacting distinctively.

"Sakura, this is how he starts to shrink! Every time he gets upset he gets younger and smaller…" Kankuro says in a desperate note.

"We gave him something to keep him asleep recently, that way he wouldn't be too disturbed until Ms. Haruno is able to get here… but it looks like its losing its effect." The medic explains as he tries to see what was wrong, checking out the equipment.

The baby starts to give off a green luminance, and then his small size gets worse. They watch in agony as Gaara is reduced into a newly born infant, more frail and underweight as ever.

"Then hurry up and make him sleep again, do you think he'll still live at the stage that he is going? Go!" The eldest sand sibling pushes the med-nin to get on his way.

"Yes Sir!" The medic gives a short bow and ran, shouting unto the others for assistance.

"What are we going to do? It'll be too late when they finally arrive!" Kankuro point out, walking back and forth, pacing himself. "Have you guys done everything possible that you could think of for him to stop crying? There are numerous ways in reducing an infant's anxiety naturally." Sakura asks, just as crossed, analyzing the situation. The faint light still radiates profusely, the little one's wailing getting weaker.

"Yes! Anything to make him stop, we tried making him laugh, feeding him, burping him… everything!" The young man with purple ink on his face answers. With a quick slap on the forehead, he made his mind up to being active on this dangerously alarming situation. "This is insane! I'll see what's taking them so long." The auburn haired general tells them before leaving on his own. "Me too, Sakura, we'll be right back." Temari follows her brother in a hurry. The two of them rushes out of the room and bickers at each other as they go.

Sakura, who can't bear to stand the grief impaled on the child anymore, pulls out the heavy contraptions off of him. It stings at first, but after a while his cries lessens, free from the needless use of apparatus and succumbed by a green relieving smouldering kind of glow. '_**I better get your vitals up fast…'**_Haruno's hands are working back and forth. Her healing works and makes his condition recover. "There, there. Isn't that better?" She consoles him in a soothing manner. As soon as the bluish radiation diminishes, her glow also started to vanish and he reacted by struggling again.

"It's okay little one, I'm still here…" She takes him delicately unto her arms, tucking him with his little blanket and stroking what's left of his crimson hair. The boy still whimpers, afraid and trying desperately to dig deep on his warm snug comforter. Sakura then turns off the blinding light above them to let the child rest his constantly exposed skin and eyelids to artificial light. She then makes her healing energy glow prominently while swaying gently, singing a lullaby:

_"Go to sleep my love, Go to sleep…_

_Close your eyes_

_And dream a dream of mine_

_About you and me_

_Underneath the cherry blossom tree_

_Go to sleep, my love, go to sleep…"_

The boy's cries is reduced into sniffles, his troubled face now calm and serene as he clings unto her more than his blanket. Sakura gently wipes off the last of his tears and covers his reaching hand with the blanket, turning around to face Kankuro and Temari dumbfounded in front of her. Their stunned faces are glowing as lively and as revitalizing as the sparkling sapphire-like energy she emits, burning beautifully and animatedly like a beacon of light below a deep ocean.

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* * *

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SUNA: Suna Headquarters**/Secret Basement Division/Suna Private Intensive Care****/****Incubator Room/6:05 PM**

"Oh hey, I restored his vitals so he's not as cranky as he looks and-" Sakura stops emitting her radiant medicinal energy almost instantly to face the sand siblings without any further distractions.

"How did you do that?" Temari asks her bluntly, turning the light back on as she did.

"Do what? The vital thing? I just put my hands out and-" She was about to demonstrate her revitalizing technique, bringing on hand on the main torso of the child's body but she is interrupted again.

"Not that! That! How did you make him stop from crying?" Kankuro points out at the now pristine look of his little brother; the boy is so tranquil that he didn't even wake from his brother's rather loud demeanour.

"What? I just held him and sang a bit. Have you ever held him before?" The green-eyed Konoha Nin asks carefully.

"Of course we did! Why wouldn't we?" Kankuro answers back.

"But he never reacted like this… he usually just keeps on crying until he gets more upset and get a lot smaller." Temari brings up.

"Really? Well, he seems a lot more manageable than what you have been describing to me."

"He's not! You must have done something incredible to stop that little fart from screaming his head off!" Kankuro says with annoyance. "Hey, don't call him that!" Sakura tries to cover his tiny little ears.

"Well he is! All the trouble just to keep him from making such a fuss and he sleeps like an angel just because Sakura is here!" Temari sighs loudly, looking away from the fascinating image of utter silence in attempt to rub her eyes quickly enough so as not to make her overwhelmed emotions too obvious. "Well, -sniff sniff- at least he stopped and he doesn't -sniff- seem to be getting any smaller." The blonde failing attempts to cover her teary enthusiasm.

"Are you crying?" Kankuro stupidly asks.

"Damn right I'm crying! I'm crying because for once our efforts are finally paying off!" She answers.

"Temari…" Kankuro was about to restrain so as not to be overly ecstatic to the point of embarrassing themselves in front of the pink kunoichi.

"We're so exhausted, running everywhere back and forth, finding a way to prevent him from shrinking and finally he stops for once. I am so… so happy!" The blonde expresses with trembling laughs in between.

"I guess you're right, Sakura sure is a miracle worker." Her brother decides to pat her on the back encouragingly, understanding that today is not a day to be meek around others.

Especially in front of the girl who saved their brother's life.

"But I didn't do anything!" Sakura says, carefully bringing the hesitant Gaara back down in the incubator while removing the last of the bunk that was on the child's bed.

"Well whatever you did, it worked. So you better find a way to know whatever you did." Kankuro tells her, making the kunoichi even more confused with his advice.

The med-nins soon arrived in a huddle, holding out a couple of sleep inducers and even a portable emergency defibrillator tagging along. "Did Kazekage-sama stop crying?" One of them asks. They look at the container where Gaara is, the child now sound asleep and alive. They all give a sigh of relief and collapse onto the floor. "H-he's alive, that's… so great…" A young med intern hiccups, on the verge of tears. Finding it hard to contain, the rest of the medical staff also start to sob in front of Sakura and the Sand siblings, filled with satisfaction, relief, and happiness.

Sakura looks at Kankuro suspiciously like he is the reason why they are currently crying their eyes out, as if they just saved themselves from being impaled by thousands of armed wooden puppets.

"You can only imagine what they have been through." The General says with a bit of guilt.

"Well… what now?" Temari asks the group. The young pink haired girl replies by letting out a long sigh, looking at Gaara who is now sleeping soundly, although a little troubled without her presence. "I want answers." She decides. "Okay." Kankuro agrees. "Let's start with the Sand Council." Temari suggests. "Sakura would love to have a word with them."

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* * *

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SUNA: Suna Headquarters**/The Medical Reference Library****/****7:00 PM**

"Typical Sakura." Kankuro says with a rather amused but nervous grin.

Temari agrees by nodding discreetly, still shivering from the after effects of Sakura's merciless scolding to the Sand Elders who are greatly at fault of her brother's current condition.

_After leaving the Med Nins to tend to the child temporarily so that they may face the Sunakagure elders without the Council's consent, they breached the heavy doors of the assembly with recklessness, intruding the faction with as much intimidation as possible. Stepping on the centre stage of the chamber and then pushing aside the current Suna Council member who was in the middle of a report, the three of them stood at the platform, the room spacious as an auditorium attended by the most influential people of Suna, until the audience was able to shut their protesting mouths politely. _

_Sakura then quietly approached the podium, assisted by Kankuro who followed her and restrained those who tried to intervene. Clearing her throat, she let out one of the most indignant mutilating curse-written sermon that was given in the prestigious courts of the Sand Country. "Forgive me for saying this bluntly but… what the hell were all of you thinking?!" She started, bringing her fist down to the podium. Her loud beginning is even more torturous to the ear since the constant thundering sound of her fist was amplified by the mic in front of her._

_Sakura just kept on going with her undignified scolding, stunning the members of the assembly with her unexpected and demeaning outburst and outstanding strength to destroy their century-old stone pedestal completely. After hours of mindless oral persecution, Sakura is forcefully dragged out of the room by six Anbus. But the strength of the men were not enough, therefore in order to restrain her enough to reach the exit, they were forced to use wooden puppet enhanced gengutsu to move her. Reasonably, she was escorted out of the premises due to such unbearably loud destructive actions and countless loss of pricey property._

"Ugh, they make me so mad!" Sakura slams one of the doors of the Suna Medical Archives, still to upset about the illegal misjudgement inflicted by citizens who were supposed to respect their Kazekage. Kankuro doesn't mind that she is making such a destructive fuss about all of this, he is just mildly happy that the door is not also broken in the process. The doors are expensive antiques after all.

"I bet their ears are still ringing, mine still does." Temari says as a compliment, resting herself at a nearby dusty coach while holding unto her ears. "They deserve the scolding! They should all be severely punished because of what they did. Don't worry, Sakura, if they report any of this to Konoha, I'll back you up." Kankuro supports, bringing his thumb up with a grin.

"Don't bother, one word about their petty complaints, and even Tsunade would've come over and give them a good beating...I can't even imagine what that scary old hag would do." Sakura comments, referring Tsunade as the old hag. "I was rather merciful by not tearing the whole place down." She tells with a shrug, reflecting her small kindness.

"You never answered any of their questions though." Kankuro points out, amused at her actions.

"How could I? They never answered any of my questions either!" Haruno reasons out loudly.

"Don't worry; I debriefed them of the situation; although they were still a bit startled at that time, I think they got most of what I have said." Temari informs.

"Let's just make use of this break and discuss about those nuisance later. We're having another meeting with them in an hour or so to discuss what we are supposed to do, now that things are starting to settle down. But hey, if Sakura wasn't in such an irritated mood, we would've been finished by then." Kankuro stretches his arms so as to refresh himself, unaware of the girls' unimpressed scowls at his supposed unnecessary added comment. "Hopefully they make better decisions this time…" The pink haired kunoichi says before sitting by a window, sipping the tea that Temari prepared for her.

The heavy rain deafening the sounds of deliberation made by the assembly above. It depresses the three that the archives are located below the floor of the Sand Council, letting them hear the useless efforts of order that they are still trying to build without the Kazekage, Prime Minister, or General to discipline them. Sakura would rather listen to the storm than to unintentionally hear their desperate disillusioned voices echoing from above the ceiling, pleas of foolish old men who argue among themselves about what they are supposed to do with The Kazekage being at his current state.

Following a trickling raindrop that gentle falls at the other side of the glass window beside her, she then remembers young boy and his tears, crying and desperately wailing out for help. "Gaara… where is he?" The pink haired kunoichi asks. Although she is well aware that the patient is on the secured confines of the Suna Headquarters basement, she wants to hear his condition from someone else.

"He's still back at the observing facilities. The medics are taking care of him for once." Kankuro is feeling more and more agitated and uneasy to just sit down and wait for something to happen. He brings his cup down on the table. "So what are we doing in this mouldy hospital library?" The hooded guy asks the girls, and then he patiently drinks some of the black coffee offered by his sister.

"It's not a hospital library; it's the Suna's ancient medical reference library where all life enforced techniques used in and out Suna are recorded." Temari corrects.

"Yeah, like I said, 'Mouldy Hospital Library'. Wasn't that clear enough for you?" Kankuro replies, clearly in the sarcastic mood.

"To know more of what they have gotten ourselves into..we have to identify at least some of the added solvents used for the presumed experimental memory loss drug that they used on Gaara." Sakura answers for both of them, not averting her tourmaline coloured eyes from the glooming scenery outside. Where the sky is pitch black, only enlightened as the shards of electricity shoot from the ominous heavens above.

"How much can we get from searching through these endless rows of rotting scrolls and tablets in an hour or two?" Kankuro points out, glancing at thousands of articles he might have to read just to diminish one section of the library.

"A theory..at least for now." Haruno answers as she resumes to drinking the rest of her tea, trying to keep herself calm as her thoughts rages like the turbulent night of the many answers that could give her for one question: What exactly happened to the Kazekage?

.

* * *

.

SUNA: Suna Headquarters**/Suna Council Assembly**/**8:00 PM**

"A theory?" The high elder finally comments, interrupting the suffocating uncomfortable silence that was inflicted ever since Sakura began her explanation on the Kazekage's condition to the council.

"It's not yet proven but it's more than plausible. In fact, judging from recent research that we have done, the Kazekage's condition is certainly curable without an established hypothesis." She said slowly and with good emphasis, so as not to repeat herself later. Hearing her clear announcement, the tension is immediately released from the assembly; the population is clearly pleased at the opportunity.

At first, they thought that this next session would be as humiliating as the other. But as they listened at the edge of their seats, the elders feel a new sense of hope and redemption from hearing the possibility that there might be reversible options that their most valuable leader can partake. Thinking that they will only hear an update on Gaara's status, they were surprised when she managed to come up with a possible remedy to the unforeseen incident; something that is difficult to achieve in such a short time.

"The induced drug seem to make his body follow a gradual phase, and in these phases his system can either redevelop itself or stop from redeveloping, it may even be possible for him to go back to normal if we pass through these phases." Sakura Haruno explains to the council.

"What happens if he didn't pass a current phase?" One of the elders ask.

"If he didn't pass a certain stage, he may either start redeveloping again or die in the process." The pink haired kunoichi answers.

They started to talk amongst themselves again; the thought of Gaara dying is undeniable but foreign. "So how can he pass through these phases that you speak of?" They ask.

"That as of now, I am not sure. But it seems that his supernatural transformation reacts through brain impulses, which then are influenced through his significant emotions. So we have to avoid giving a negative reaction from his surroundings and try reducing any stress he might undergo, that would at least slow the process." As the Konoha Med Nin said this, she could see their faces growing more and more deflated. They probably couldn't imagine their usually strong and quick to recover boss to be this way.

"But he is the Kazekage! He always deals with stress!" One of them shouts, the others agree. "As of now, he is not the Kazekage, he is but a child. A vulnerable child, who is in danger and is not capable of handling anything that involves arduous work, he will be temporarily off from his responsibilities until he is well." Haruno answers firmly, not wavering from her proposition.

"How long will it take?" Temari quietly asks, standing so as to be recognized from the crowd, hoping for at least a decent answer.

"I cannot say." Sakura answers empathetically.

They have not responded for a while. To be in a world where Gaara, who has built Suna with his own hands, will not be around to lead them is to foreign and distant. "W-who will take his position?" They all started looking at each other, but nobody dare stands or raise a hand. No one wants the position, the position as Kazekage is too hard to bear. Gaara is irreplaceable and everyone knows that.

"I will." Someone from the upper row finally suggested. Hearing a soul who is actually willing to step up for such a role, everyone turn their head at the direction of tha dominant voice to find Kankuro standing, his hand raised high. "As his brother and general of Suna, I will take his position until Gaara is ready to take it back." He tells this boldly, balancing his tone so as not to show his temperament. Nobody questions the general's authority, but their faces are still filled with doubt.

"I know that Gaara is the only one who can really be called as the Kazekage, and nobody could ever rule the village as he did. But under these circumstances, I will try my best to do his part. After what all of you have done to him...none of you have the right to be against anything." The General concludes. The council avert their eyes, ashamed of themselves. Some tried to keep their gaze as lifeless as possible, but their tightened lips and lowered chin reveals their guilt and self-ridicule greatly. They know that his seemingly outrageous assumption is right, betraying their own leader has made them to be the lowest of the officials of Suna.

Somewhat annulling their authority to protest, the highest ranked elder stands and gives a long bow. "The words that you spoke are true, we are not even fit to be in this court for what we have done and for that we humbly ask for your forgiveness." All of them stood immediately and bow their heads low, doing their best to balance the apology given by the senior members before them. They did not dare glance at each other, keeping their eyes on the floor. Some were clenching their teeth, having not lowered themselves before since they are nobles.

"We are not going to oppose on your decisions, and therefore we surrender the village entirely to the three of you. Sakura Haruno, we leave our Kazekage in your hands, please do your best to bring him back. Again we sincerely apologize for the big responsibilities that we have thrown to you all, please forgive us." The high elder stated, with grace still present on his voice. The revered old man and the rest of the superior assembly did not follow the regular members of the council in bowing to show their fault.

However, they did not waver from their standing position that is already considered as a means of stating their own admission; in a sense they were able to keep their integrity than the others.

The pink haired kunoichi could not help but feel spite at the superiors of the council for being able to keep their selfish pride. And even though they have given a sincere apology, anything this blasphemous should be fairly punished so as to give true justice and sincere repentance. Unfortunately, this is the utmost degradation that they can fulfil to the public. Any more would mean stepping down from their position or complete utter failure as the faces of the village that would influence the reputation of the whole country.

She knows that she would be speaking on their behalf by mentioning these words. Although Temari and Kankuro are far from where she is, seated along with the audience before her; she could tell from the blonde's unquenched resentment still showing on her face and the nod that the hooded man gives to her as an approval. It doesn't matter now. She doesn't care. And knowingly, the siblings wouldn't mind as well. After all, they didn't deserve their sorry. Having the young boy alive is satisfying enough as an end to this nightmarish dilemma they have been put through.

Hell, they shouldn't be giving them their excuses in the first place. The person who they should be begging for mercy is the one who is lying at an incubator, trying his best to be stable in a concealed underground Intensive Care Unit. "We are not the ones you should be asking for forgiveness…" Sakura says, giving a cold stare. _**'The person who these geezers should ask for forgiveness the most…'**_

"The one who you should be asking for forgiveness is… Gaara."

.

* * *

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**Gaara's current age: 1 day old**

**Time since redevelopment: Four Hours**

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**Author and Beta Reader's Notes:**

This Story's Beta Reader is: Rei Haruno - Sakura no Imooto. Poryo Productions Forum: The Weed Garden/Forum. Story was last Edited: 08/04/12

**Avrille Nordlicht: **Hello new reader, this is the sixth revision of the story. For 2 years this story used to be in a middle aligned setting, but after some good inspiration and countless rethinking; I decided to continue this story in a way that is more formal and appropriate for the public. I come to realize that reading it in a centre sort is truly not for everyone. And honestly, it doesn't improve me much as a writer if I continued writing in a script form. But hey, as time pass, you learn things.

**Rei Haruno - Sakura no Imooto: **Well, Smilestitches requested me to give a comment. So I guess I need to. Hi, I am Rei Haruno, the beta reader. Oh well, thank you for reading Innocent Love again (checking out the edition). I'm just fixing some grammatical errors and I'm paraphrasing few confusing phrases/sentences. Do not worry… Smilestitches is still the one in charge and so I will not change her style of writing. Hope you like the edition.

**From us to you: **thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated, and we hope you enjoy this sixth edition!

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	2. His first image

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His F****irst Image"**

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**Gaara's current age: 1 week old.**

**Time since redevelopment: 10 hours.**

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**A Dream**

_A white room. A clear, bright, wide and comfortable place. The room is simply furnished with bright hues, a set of long flowing curtains that decors the large side windows dance as light breeze enter.__It is a place to heal, a place to rest.__Someone resides here.__He sits perched on the window sill, looking outside the window, searching for something.__Waiting patiently.__Closer, coming closer, you might be able to know who he is.__A person who is waiting with content in this isolated room, watching the outside world silently.__Closer..Closer..__You made a sound, to your dismay._

_He looks away from the outside, and slowly turns to your direction.__Who is this man?__And then..nothing._

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**SUNA:** **Suna General Hospital**/**Private Intensive Care**/**6:00 AM**

She opens her eyes, her vision blurred and out of focus. She rubs and blinks them a couple of times. Raising her heavy head, she familiarizes herself on her surroundings. She quietly concludes that she is back to reality. Who was that man sitting by the window sill? Green eyes..Red Hair.. She could only guess.

Loud disruptive snoring answers her. She finds Kankuro who is snoring away like a pig and Temari huddled together asleep at one side; the blonde woman, shamelessly resting her head on her brother's shoulders. Sakura bites her lip, stifling her laugh. Finding it adorable for the both of them to be in that situation, she doesn't bother to wake them up. She yawns, stretching her limbs. Then she hears faint whimpers, she casually looks at the small infant bed next to her. Only did she realize that what happened yesterday was real.

She goes to her other side, and look at the crib in a daze. Finally out of the heavy equipment, Gaara is doing fine other than being troubled and somewhat cranky, uncomforted by his bed. She sighs, she feels tired but she takes him anyway. He grips on her steadily, not letting go until she hushes him with her gentle combs his now thick damp hair and pinches his blush red could tell that he gained some weight, and looks a lot healthier than before."You're growing." She smiles and uncontrollably cuddles him.

"You're sooo cute!" She reacts shamelessly. He looks like he was a small well bundled up pea in a pod. It is 6:00 am in the morning. They have spent the whole night rummaging through scrolls and all sorts of data for more information that would be useful in bringing Gaara back to normal. Of course Kankuro has spent most of his time stalling them with his endless questions, keeping them active as they pull an all-nighter. But that isn't the only one that kept them awake. Baby Gaara has them at their beck and call at every cry he made.

"What the..Aaaaugghhhh!" Kankuro shouts, reacting from the awkward position that he finds himself. Temari stirs up as well because of his loudness."Ugh, bleh! Gross! Cooties!" Kankuro describes his given predicament, while taking off his hoodie that wafts of girl perfume.

"I spent the whole night drooling on the shoulder of an ugly person!" Temari adds to the abrupt insults, pulling her already stressed out hair.

Sakura laughs at the two, who are now yelling at each other, both irritated and a bit embarrassed. Having heard the noise coming from his siblings, Gaara starts to cry again, bothered by their fighting. Having to woo the boy for him to go back to sleep isn't much of an issue to Haruno, she never gets tired of holding him and singing to him, watching him as he calmed down and patiently waiting for the peace to come back. But it would be nice for them to lower the volume; the child needs every opportunity of rest he could get.

Even though they have stayed behind to do some researching for the rest of the night, they did not get any closer on just what is affecting the Kazekage At the rate they are going, they couldn't even point out the reason of this extraordinary side effect. There is something missing in all of this, something wrong every time she turns a page. But they do find many facts that support Sakura's theory.

"Hey… Is it just me or did Gaara grew a little bit?" Kankuro looks at the little guy who is struggling at his hold. "Yeah… he did, didn't he?" Temari notices as well.

"This is great, now all we need to do is find out how." The man ponders. The two siblings realize that Sakura wasn't paying much attention at what they are saying, cooing and making other funny noises for the child's own amusement. Kankuro looks at her sister, and Temari looks at him back with a knowing expression. Sakura is a natural when it comes to taking care of their little brother, if she crossed the street carrying Gaara, everyone would have thought that he was her child.

"What are you guys smiling for?" The pink haired kunoichi ask them, noticing their sheepish glances.

"No reason." Temari states, elbowing Kankuro in the gut and making him cough instead of muttering a word. The blonde walks to the pink haired kunoichi's side, giving her share of funny noises to her little brother.

Kankuro, who is watching from a distance to avoid another round of Temari's punches, could see everyone's fatigue. "I think we all deserve some rest." He informs them. Stretching like a cat, he pounces to the now open bed and brings his hands on the back of his head. "We did our best for now. I don't think he'll be going anywhere at this point." He continues.

Although they need to search for a cure as soon as possible, they won't achieve much with their zombie like appeal.

"I guess." Sakura grips on the little guy more momentarily as if taking it to consideration.

"It's time for you to unpack anyway, surely you'll stay here longer enough than we thought you should have, it's a good thing that we all your stuff just in case." The young man with purple ink on his face adds.

"Yeah… It is a good thing." She says sarcastically and sighs.

"Yup and you can thank me for it!" Kankuro points at himself proudly. Haruno gives him a deadly glare before making a worried look at the little boy tugging her.

"Don't worry; we'll take him with us. There is no way I'm going to leave him with the medically challenged medturds. I mean, you're already here, with you around, there won't be any problems." Temari reassures, pats the pink haired girl's back.

"And we live nearby just in case there is a serious emergency." Kankuro points out.

The pink haired kunoichi can already imagine the medics asking for help outside of them home noisily at any hour of any day. "More like next door." Sakura miserably adds. "I don't understand why you have to live next to your job. No wonder Gaara is so stressed out."

"Trust me, it was more than he can handle." Kankuro informs.

"But he wouldn't have it any other way." Temari informs her with sympathy in her voice.

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SUNA:** Nearby Suna Headquarters/ ****Sabaku No Residence/8:00 AM**

Sakura takes her shoes off, position them where they left their own, holding on to Gaara as she ventures inside. The place looks like a typical Japanese traditional home with sliding doors. There is the usual living room with a low table and no chairs, a modern kitchen, dining room that is furnished with a high long table and chairs, and a medium sized veranda located on the side. But other than being typical, the place really looks like a mess. There are clothes and trash almost everywhere and some unnecessary stuff crowding the place. "This is your home?" Haruno asks, looking around.

"Yeah, it's a bit messy, but with two boys living here, it's a handful." Temari explains.

"Huge bathroom." The pink haired kunoichi comments.

"We keep the bath and the toilet separate for obvious reasons." The blonde points out a laid back Kankuro who drinks from a soda can and burps out loud.

"Erm..bless you?" Sakura replies to the man's indignant behaviour. She really didn't even notice the junk at first. But taking her first steps, she realizes that she can barely see the floor beneath them.

"I am so sorry." The blue-eyed woman says, embarrassed.

"No, no! It's okay. Naruto's room is a zoo compared to this." Haruno assures.

"We don't really let any people clean up this place, we like our privacy." The blue eyed blonde reasons.

"It's better that way. I like mine too." Sakura tells her while smiling.

"And since we have been out of it lately, it didn't really help. Temari's not good in cleaning up the place, too. Well you can say that this is all her fault." Kankuro adds to his sister's explanation.

"What did you say? I can clean up just fine!" His sister retorts.

"Sure you can." The general says with sarcasm.

"Ignore him." The blonde hits her brother on the head with a roll of old newspaper that was previously lying on the floor.

Sakura could see that their distinct personalities are shown in their random looking furniture. The living room is a state of the art entertainment system; obviously time is spent more often in this area. Kankuro switches on a channel with a remote and lies back while watching it in the huge screen. Speakers are all over the place with the player on the side. A couple of game controllers are sprawled and the system completely blown over with all sorts of other gadgets. Their living room is basically a man's Shangri-la. Except for one corner of the room, that is fortunately left untouched by the rampant messy surroundings.

This one small corner of the room stands out. One unique feature is that it is mostly decorated with black furniture. A noir tall wooden cabinet is filled with all sorts of books that lean against the wall, accompanied with an out of the place reading couch that is furnished together with a reading lamp. A patch of grey carpet covers the hard wood floors, hinting that whoever uses this couch might've spent his time barefoot in that place. The coffee small coal-like table next to the couch carries four large used mugs with a small container of sleeping pills. "Someone's having a hard time to sleep." Sakura points out.

"You can blame all that unmanly junk on that small creature over there. He can't get a wink even if he was at his normal state. He'd spend a lot of night reading on that couch. It's insane. If he had a lot of time on his hands, he should use that time more on improving his gaming skills. You think the guy could be any better in having a one on one on me playin' virtual fights, but he doesn't! Haha! And he's the guy who could handle a hundred men in a second if he wanted to but can't even defeat one in a virtual fight." Kankuro tells with glee.

"You hungry? All we have is canned food." Temari tells them, having checked the cabinets and the fridge. "I'm calling take out. Kanky, what do you want?" She asks her brother.

_**"Kanky?"**_ Sakura repeats, stifling her laugh; finding such a nickname to be odd.

"Pizza." Kankuro answers, not even bothering to correct the nick name given to him since he was a kid.

"Sakura?" The blond asks Haruno.

"Anything's fine." The konoha medic answers.

"Okay, Chinese, it is." Temari concludes, bringing a phone to her ear.

"Hey!" The general protests his sister's indifference.

"Uhm, where exactly is my room?" Sakura asks. "Last door on the left, I brought all yer stuff there." The hooded young man answers.

"Okay, thanks." Sakura takes the bag she brought with her off the floor and proceeds to the direction he told her. She slides open her door only to see a room that is light and serene. The only place that isn't chaotic compared to what she has seen a while ago, probably because isn't used as much as it should be. The room is simply decorated which makes it spacious and breathable. There is one bed is covered with fresh sheets, a clean wooden table with a lampshade on top, an empty cabinet on one wall and all her clutter on another, and the curtains of a wide window flutters softly just beside the bed post.

'_**This place..is familiar.' **_She reflects. And then her assumptions come to her, telling her that this is similar to the room that she saw in her dream. She breathes in deeply, recognizing the smell of sun dried linen. Just when she is about to toss herself to the bed and enjoy the morning view, she hears familiar wailing of the little Kazekage. Quickly, she walks out and into the main area where the two are fussing over what exactly is upsetting Gaara.

"What's wrong?" Temari immediately asks her.

"I think he's hungry." The pink haired answers, noticing that he starts to suck his thumb.

"Really? That's great!" Kankuro shouts with enthusiasm.

"How is it great? He's still crying!" Temari pats Gaara on the back and rocks him a bit but it doesn't help.

"It'll be okay, it looks like he can drink something heavier than what we were feeding him from a tube. We need some milk and a feeding bottle." Sakura proposes.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Kankuro is about to get to his feet when two anbus instantly appear, blocking the entrance of their home.

"Oh great, what is it this time?" The man with purple ink on his face complains, confronting the Intimidating Sand Nins.

"Sir, we are here to escort you to the main building." One of them informs, not bothering to pull down his mask; thinking that this would not take too long.

"What for?" The General questions in a rude manner, not in the mood to stop by headquarters, where he spent most of his days for weeks.

"To start on the Kazekage's responsibilities." The anbu answers. "What? So soon? I'm on a break, it's a Saturday." Kankuro rightfully reasons.

"I'm sorry, sir, the Kazekage doesn't take breaks on weekends." The sand nin explains.

"Oh yeah… I forgot." The young man with purple ink on his face projects as he gazes calmly at his Anbu escorts. Before frantically making a run for it.

"General!" They grab him on the shoulders and keep him from getting away.

"I take it back! I don't want to be the Kazekage! Temari, help me!" The sand sibling desperately shouts for assistance from his sister.

"We'll save you a piece when you get home." Temari smiles mercilessly, as she waves goodbye.

"You're kidding me! I just got home!" Kankuro reasons, but is not heard as they begin to drag him out of there. "Noooooo!" He shouts and curses until he can't be heard from where they are.

"Well, I better get going." The blonde gets a bag for groceries hooked from the back of the door.

"I'm not going with you?" Sakura asks.

"Of course not, it's best you rest it out here. I still have a bit of me left and I'm sorry to admit that I'd rather be out than to hear another session of him crying out. And anyway, the shinobis will be all over here when if they saw you out there without anyone guarding him while he's yelling out like crazy." The prime minister explains.

"I guess you're right." Sakura takes Gaara from her and continues on rocking him with her arms.

Realizing that she is holding him, his wailing out becomes mere whimpers in seconds. Temari sighs in both approval and mild envy.

"He really likes you, and he recognizes you quickly. This is the first time he shows his affection to anything so much." The blue-eyed blonde tell her pink haired friend.

"Really?" Haruno reacts, looking more and more alarmed and conscious.

"Don't take it as a bad thing, it's actually good. When we were young, he was used to all sorts of people handling him that he barely recognizes anyone. Sometimes he would just cry for them to just leave him alone. I'm jealous of you actually, he likes you a lot." The prime minister adds.

"Oh, we don't know that." Sakura says with a laugh, shaking her head.

"Trust me; he would cringe every time people would handle him before. I know it's only been hours but the way he holds unto us now makes a big difference, especially on you. I'm glad you're here. I just hope you're glad, too." Temari says while patting the Konoha Nin gently with a worried face.

"Of course I am. I'm glad to be here." Sakura reassures.

"I'll be back in no time, don't close the door okay? Get some rest on your room or anywhere is fine. I'd avoid Kankuro's room though if I were you." The blue-eyed blonde warns her guest.

"Of course." The pink haired kunoichi laughs. Temari gives a quick wave and closes the door leaving the two of them alone together.

Sakura sighs. "So… what now?" She thought that she was asking the question to herself, but then she looks at the baby as if he knows the answer. Hearing her voice, Gaara continues crying, but quietly this time. "I know, what about looking around your room?" She suggests. He doesn't give a fuss about it so Sakura takes this as a yes gesture. "If only I knew where it was…" She walks to the hallway and starts opening doors cautiously. She opens the first door, and gives a shiver. She immediately closes it and breathes in heavily. "That was scary." If she is going to clean that room, she won't know how to start.

"Is your big brother always this sloppy?" The green-eyed young woman asks, but the child doesn't answer. Wanting to remove that disturbing image from her mind, she then goes to the next room and knows almost instantly, that she is in Temari's room. She opens it completely and takes small steps to the lavender coloured carpeting. The room seems to shine off a hue of violet as the mid morning sun reaches her eyes. The walls have some flowery design with a bit of both yellow and violet. "It's nice to find a girly side of the house."

She fluffs and fixes up the messed up bed, seeing as it was the only one that is out of order. She likes how Temari designed it in a Victorian approach with still a hint of traditional. She notices the multi-accessorized mirror with all sorts of make-up and girly items on its shelves and top surface. "Awww…" A picture of her and Shikamaru is taped in one edge, Temari smiling at the camera with her arms around him while Shikamaru looking uncomfortable but giving a grin as well. "I can't wait to rub this on Shika's face when I get back."

Shikamaru might be out of it but he looks so lively around her and the picture proves it.

"Ooh, I have that one." She notices the pinkish gloss at the dozens of sticks that she sees in a container. With that, she begins to wonder what sort of wardrobe Temari has other than the colour black. She opens one side of a cabinet, and to her surprise, half of it is filled with the usual garments that she saw her wear and thought she was likely to wear and the other half where clothes that Temari was not likely to wear. They are really colorful, slightly more revealing than the ones she wears and also more frilly and eye catching, too.

"This is so not like her." She gets one of the odd ones and looks at the mirror; she would most likely wear this one than Temari would. "She would probably blush if she wore any of this." She says out loud, imagining Temari in such an ensemble. Gaara grunts as if annoyed, tired of lying around the lumpy bed while she looks around. "Okay, okay." She takes him and goes out of the room, leaving as if nothing has been moved or touched. "So that means you're room is next to mine." She opens the second to the last door and peers in but she can't possibly see anything at all.

"Pretty dark in here." She notes, talking to herself. She finds the light switch at one side, but the lights of the room are so faint that it barely makes any difference. The curtains covering the tall windows are dark heavy drapes; when she opens them, she reveals the dullest background that she has ever seen. The shadows of all sorts of buildings makes any sort of landscape before her much dimmer, but what makes it pleasant is that she can actually see the whole village in this position. Watching the people below, her vision is then disturbed by piece of rope that slowly sways back and forth by the soft wind.

She looks up, trying to see where the rope leads to. The rope starts at the roof and ends just right at the ledge of the window. _**'Does Gaara spend time lying around in the roof?' **_She gives a questioning look at the child who in turn shifts closer to her due to the cold wind rushing in. _**'What an odd hobby for a kazekage.' **_Sakura concludes, before she closes the window and its curtains. She turns around to face the dull looking surroundings. Books are everywhere; another lofty coach centres the countless stacks of books. Dozens of scrolls are made into what looks like a coat rack and even a makeshift coffee table.

Files as thick as the books are held together and kept at the side of a desk filled with what seems to be coffee rings of cups on its glass surface. "I bet you do most of your work at night." She thoughtfully points out. Sakura then walks in circles, around a barely used looking bed. The pillows are not flat due to repetitive use, but are actually poofy even. The sheets are tightly folded and clean, but seem to have been at least a bit ruffled. It looked like the guy was tossing and turning, but never actually pulling over the blankets. He must have tried a lot of times to get some rest, but it appears that rest is not a luxury he can achieve.

"You just lie here, don't you?" She contemplates. Together with Gaara, she collapses herself unto the unusually comfortable bed. She thought that it will be rather hard or too lumpy for a guy not to have much sleep from it, but lying in the mattress feels so inviting. "I don't see what your problem is; your bed is fine with me." She faces little Gaara who looks like he agreed to her comment. "I'm talking to you like you actually understand what I am saying…" She sighs, thinking of how silly she is.

She looks up the ceiling, and wonders how many times he would look up at the blank plain concrete waiting for at least a second wink of sleep.

Sleep. Ah sleep. She misses it so. Her eyes start to get blurry, and the ceiling seems fuzzy and moving. "I'm tired." She announces, her words echoing from the confines of the walls. She rubs her eyes and blinks a couple of times but sobering her up for a little while more hasn't work. She rests her face leaning on one side and looks right at the baby who is now fast asleep holding unto her arm.

"That's not fair…" She smiles anyway, thankful that his snivelling is gone. She frees her handing, making him whimper for a moment, but she immediately brings him closer to her. He struggles, thinking that she might let go any minute when she isn't moving after a while. "Shhh…It's your fault for having a pitch black room." The boy starts to tremble, perhaps afraid of the darkness that envelopes them. She brushes his cheek, trying to keep him calm. "It's okay, I'm still here." She reassures, kissing his forehead.

Gaara is startled stiff from that sort of touch, making him stop from moving around to pause, wondering what sort of touch would be so soft and reassuring. "Now let's sleep together, okay?"

The baby seems to frown at those words but as soon as she starts to hum a familiar tune he obliges, letting her comb though his hair as she sing.

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"_Go to sleep my love, Go to sleep…_

_Close your eyes_

_And dream a dream of mine_

_About you and me_

_Underneath the cherry blossom tree_

_Go to sleep my love, go to sleep…"_

_._

At the end of the song, she sleeps as well. But unlike the child, Sakura is wooed by his small quiet breathing, and the sound of both their beating hearts.

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SUNA:Nearby Suna Headquarters/ Sabaku No Residence/**Gaara's Room**/**2:00 PM**

_Sakura…_She hears her name being used in a fuzzy manner..so much so that she is unsure whether she is having a dream or she is currently in the midst of reality.

"Hm?" Sakura mumbles in response.

"Sakura…" The blonde repeats for her. Now familiar of the voice, she realizes that she might still be in the bedroom. Haruno then opens her eyes hesitantly and looks up to find Temari beside her.

"What time is it?" The pink haired kunoichi asks, finding that she truly dozed off somehow.

"Noon." Temari answers back gently, concerned that she disturbed the pink haired kunoichi's nap.

"Really?" The Konoha Mednin motions her upper torso up to face her better and feels emptiness at the part where Gaara used to be.

She instantly opens her drowsy eyes wide and starts searching left and right. "Where's Gaara?" She asks.

"He's yelling back at the kitchen. I'm sorry Sakura, I tried feeding him without waking you up but I can't seem to get the formula right." The blue-eyed blonde tells her apologetically.

"No, no it's okay. I have to stay awake anyway." Haruno replies, as she stands up steadily and follows the sand nin to the kitchen.

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Sabaku No Residence/**Kitchen Area**/**2:10 PM**

Sakura finds Gaara bawling out from Kankuro's reckless handling. "Hey Gaara don't cry, your brother Kankuro is here! See?" The General starts tossing him up and down in front of them.

"Kankuro!" Temari shouts, not pleased by her brother's actions.

"What?" Kankuro gets startled, forgetting he just gives it another toss.

Gaara gets suspended on air for a second and then he starts to fall to the ground. "Gaara!" The girls shout.

"Gah!" Kankuro yelps, trying to catch him; but is unable to reach the falling baby. Temari slides the floor with her back and catches Gaara just in time.

"Don't do that!" The blonde scolds her brother while swaying the child, thinking that he was traumatized.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know what to do! He just kept on crying, I had to make him stop!" The General tries to explain.

"Sorry to tell you this Kankuro, but you always had bad reflexes." His sister bluntly comments, holds unto her little brother while Sakura checks whether anything was bruised or fractured.

"He's fine, but he's a bit dehydrated. You got anything?" The pink haired kunoichi says. "Yeah, everything. But I don't know where to start." Kankuro gives her the can of milk and a bottle.

"You have to use the spoon that's already in the can and measure 2 to 3 tablespoons. Too much will rot his teeth." Sakura firstly advises.

"There's a spoon there already?!" The hooded man animatedly reacts.

"Yeah, see?" The tourmaline-eyed kunoichi replies as she opens the can, and then shows the measuring spoons on top of the powdered milk.

"Oh…" The siblings say in unison, taking their turn to touch and observe the plastic object before passing it back to Haruno.

Sakura puts water in it from the thermos and closes the lid, shaking the bottle back and forth. "It's best not to use a spoon, since there might be chemicals or sediments stuck on it. The water needs to be warm, not to cold and not too hot." She uses a part of her arm as a canvas and makes the bottle drip some on her skin. "It's fine." She takes Gaara carefully and starts to feed him. He doesn't like it at first since it makes him choke. But after a little while, she tries again and he finally gets the hang of it. "There you go…" She sways him and walks around while he is drinking.

"Sakura, you're amazing." They started clapping like they were watching a show. Sakura looks at them weirdly before expressing her own observation: "I'm amazed you guys have never done this before."

"We were in the hospital the whole time it was happening, most of that time we just boss the people. By the way, what's going on in there?" Temari asks Kankuro, who looked rather stressed out more than they are.

"They just kept on going… blah blah blah… My head is going to burst if I have to handle all of the shit they are putting me through. Sakura, please tell me you can get him back to normal before then?" Kankuro describes miserably with his plea at the Konoha nin.

"I'm sorry, Kankuro. It'll take a while." Haruno regrets to inform as the man later groans and drags himself to a nearby chair to mope about his problems. "Would you like to take him?" Sakura offers Gaara to his sister to carry.

"Sure!" Temari takes him and tilts the bottle so he wouldn't gulp down air, learning from what Sakura taught her. "He looks so cute!" She couldn't help but be enthusiastic. "For some reason, I like him better this way." She laughs.

"Please don't. You'll encourage him." Kankuro says out of his miserable state, now ogling over the boy. "So Sakura, how do you like the house?"

"It's fine, I pictured it to be a lot worst..but then again after seeing your room.." Sakura gave a disgusted look.

"Uh well, I'm not much of a clean freak." He scratches his head, embarrassed of himself.

"I warned you, didn't I?" Temari says, without looking up.

"I didn't even look twice before I shut the door." Sakura comments with a cringe.

"It's not that bad!" The hooded man defends.

"Yes it is!" His sister defends, wanting the information to be drilled on the hooded guy's head.

"Psh, Gaara wouldn't think so." He says, making a mild fit on the subject. They give him a perplexed look. "Well he won't!" He continues to deny.

"I dunno… Gaara's frowning like crazy right now." Sakura points out.

The general looks at Gaara's face, making the girls laugh. "W-well, you room is not perfect, too, you know!" He says, pointing at Temari.

"What are you talking about? Of course it is!" The blue-eyed blonde defends.

"Yeah… It's so perfect I can't wait to tell about it back home." Sakura cuts in, giving the girl a slight hint. Temari turns to face Sakura, looking nervous and taken aback.

"Y-you will?" The Prime minister asks hesitantly.

"Yup, that picture is priceless. I'm gonna be selling copies when I get back." Haruno teases.

"Hehhehe… really?" The blonde asks nervously.

"Too late, I already made copies." Kankuro says with a smug grin.

"WHAT?" Temari was about to interrogate her brother further when they heard Gaara choking.

"W-what's wrong?" The siblings worry at the abnormal sound, now putting their attention to him. "He just finished his bottle." Sakura answers.

"He drank it all?" Kankuro gasps, looking at the empty bottle.

"He's that thirsty? Poor guy…" Temari says.

"Well, he didn't have anything at all today." The green-eyed kunoichi takes the bottle and starts to refill it again.

"Seriously though… Did you make copies?" The blonde brings up, wanting to be sure it was just some sort of joke.

"Nah, of course not." Kankuro says with overly confidence.

"Really?" She looks at him in a threatening way.

"Yup, I didn't." He tells her, trying his best to keep his straight face.

"I'm done." The pink haired kunoichi comes with a full bottle at hand.

"Sakura, could you get him for a bit, I'll be right back." Temari gives another sway before passing him on to Sakura.

"You're going to take that picture down and hide it, aren't you?" Kankuro says with a knowing look.

"N-no. I'm not." His sister says to defend herself before walking away.

"Too late." The general mentions with a smirk. Temari looks at her brother with a questioning and seething look.

Sakura who isn't really paying attention at first focuses on Gaara's face, about to give him another batch when she notices something. "Hey… is he squinting?"

"You mean, trying to open his eyes?" Kankuro comes over to take a closer look. "He… He's…"

They watch those eyelids open and look at every face before him with the orbs of the most beautiful shade of green. "Gaara?" Sakura says smiling. "Hey…" She brings her face closer, watching as his eyes follow her finger and blink when she does.

"Gaara can see now! Keep it up, little guy!" The hooded General encourages.

"Hey little bro, remember your big sister?" Temari points out her own face. The child doesn't answer, he can't after all. But he blinks instead, out of curiosity.

"I don't think he would remember anything yet…" Sakura says sadly.

"That's fine for me, He's blinking, he can see now. Finally we're getting somewhere!" The blonde reacts positively.

"What about me? Do you remember me?" Kankuro asks with excitement, bringing his face in front of his close up. Gaara looks scared and then starts to cry.

"Now look what you did!" Temari hits him on the gut with her elbow.

"What?" He questions, wondering why did he deserve the strong bruising poke.

"You made him cry!" The blonde reasons.

"I didn't do anything!" Temari's hooded brother retorts.

"He was bewildered because of your ugly face!" The blue-eyed prime minister adds.

"I do not have an ugly face! He probably saw something so beautiful that when he saw someone more beautiful and handsome as me that he couldn't handle it!" Kankuro then defends for himself.

"Yeah, right. He probably saw something beautiful and THEN saw something ugly! Like me and Sakura, he did saw us first after all." She says, resting her hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"Whatever. Who did he first saw, really?" The general replies with a question.

"Sakura of course." His sister informs. "Well then, the more he'll grow attached to you Haruno." Kankuro concludes. "Why would you say that?" Sakura asks.

"Because you're the first thing he saw." Temari tells her before Kankuro can. "You'll definitely mean something to him more."

Sakura then looks at the pair with a confused look. "Explain." She requests.

"Because the first thing we see in this world will always mean something, thankfully it wasn't this guy." Temari points at her little red head brother.

"I don't think he'd see well immediately, usually babies start seeing things in a blur." The pink haired kunoichi attempts to correct.

"It doesn't matter, when they grow out of it they'll still know what they saw." Kankuro adds.

"You guys are just being silly; babies can't do that at this age." Sakura replies with a laugh, not taking such a superstition seriously.

"Well, Gaara's not your average baby." The general reasons.

"That's true." The pink haired kunoichi says while nodding slowly, accepting the possibility.

"Right now he probably knows more than the average baby, and sees more too." Kankuro suggests while waving at Gaara.

"We don't know that yet." Sakura said with a light laugh, handling this as casual conversation.

"We will, but until then we do know that he's really attached to you now." Kankuro pats her in the shoulder. "As of now you're the most important person in his life."

"Am I?" Sakura looks at the child, as if he might give her an answer. Gaara's pupils seem to shimmer at that thought.

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**Gaara's current age:** **3 weeks Old**

**Time since redevelopment:** **26 Hours**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	3. His first Smile

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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**"His ****First Smile"**

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**Gaara's current age:** **Two months old**

**Time since redevelopment:** **2 days and 5 hours**

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**SUNA: Monday**/**Nearby Suna Headquarters/Sabaku Residence**/**Washroom**/**7:00 AM**

It is Kankuro's turn to change his diapers, equipping himself completely with sanitary gloves, chopsticks and a gas mask. "Okay." He breathes in and out slowly. "Careful…" He uses the chopsticks with a trembling hand and reaches for one of the side tapes of the diaper. He winces at the touch of the tape and starts to breathe heavily. "1… 2… 3…" He strips it off. "Gah!" He covers himself pathetically with his arms and waits for the after effect but nothing happens after. "Phew." He wipes off the sweat from his brow.

"Okay, General and Kazekage substitute of Suna… You can do this!" He says with a fist up high. "It's just a diaper… not an invasion or boring nagging old men…" The big brother coaxes himself, as Gaara watches as if him being rather amusing to look at. And then the General reaches for the other side but backs out at the very second. "Now you listen to me diaper, I am bigger and a lot less stinky than you so I should handle you just fine. You hear?" He dictates like he was talking to an enemy. The boy then blinks, and tries to raise his head a bit to see what he is talking to.

"Is it done yet?" Temari says, banging at the door.

"No! Not yet!" Kankuro replies in an annoyed tone. "Well, hurry up!" His sister shouts back.

"Alright already!" He sighs, "Okay… Suck it up Kankuro… You can do this…"

"Are you giving yourself a pep talk?" Temari states, ending her question with laughs.

"No!"

"For a diaper?" Sakura adds, laughing from the background.

"No, I'm not!"

"Kankuro, just do it already!" Temari scolds him, momentarily stopping from laughing.

"I want you to shut up woman! I'm trying to concentrate here!" Kankuro tells her, pulling up his mask to be heard more clearly and then quickly pulls it back. "Okay… I'll just pull this thing like a band-aid… It'll be done and over in a minute." He sprays the whole air freshener dry all over the washroom, sniffing the perfume smell until he thinks his sense of smell is numb, and then he slaps both his cheeks slightly. Finally all riled up, he holds unto the tape that holds it all up and closes his eyes in anticipation. "Okay..Like a band-aid." He clenches his teeth; his trembling fingers tighten their hold, and then-

Rip.

"AAAAAUUUGGGHHHH! I'M DYING! Can't breathe! -Cough, cough, wheeze, wheeze- Can't see! Someone open the door! OPEN THE DOOR!" The desperate man pleads as he knocks on the door furiously.

After passing out, and regaining consciousness, he earns has a bump in the head afterwards, for treating the baby as some nuclear experiment that had gone wrong.

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SUNA: Monday/Sabaku Residence/** Lounge Area**/**8:00 AM**

There have been positive changes since the new tenants have been residing in the Suna Household. Gaara, as the little Kazekage, has been very popular lately, making their place amassed with continuous entertainment and hysteria. It has only been a few days of their given time for recovery, and they already have been getting a lot of visitors. Although they chose not to involve the public with all the drama that is going on, the officials and leaders of Suna have been frequent guests.

Hour after hour, members of the Sand council choose to come by to bring gifts and tokens of apology. The three caretakers in turn, choose to be hostile rather than be extremists, letting them do their little attempts of connecting with the child and taking turns saying sorry. One of them even tells the boy to call him grandpa and offered to let baby rest on his lap. Although Gaara cried even before Kankuro declined.

Many of the employees that work in Suna Hospital and Suna Kazekage Headquarters also paid a visit, enjoying their casual fun and cute conversations they have with their kid boss who they don't usually talk in such a manner back when he was their menacing looking leader. Even the Sand shinobis came for a visit; some of them, taking some free time to transport furniture for the baby that is funded by the government. "This really isn't necessary." Sakura tries to reason to the Shinobi who have clay masks on their faces, hauling the baby accessories.

"Of course they are necessary; these are essentials for the Kazekage's normal childhood." Said one of the Shinobi, who nodded promptly in agreement for such absolute tasks. The big brother of the Kazekage stands abruptly from his embarrassing pose of being Gaara's carpet, looking at his below rank officers with shock and confusion from his position.

"Okay… I guess." Sakura answers with a twinge of guilt, looking at the very costly baby furniture "But, they look so..expensive.." Her words trails away, finding protesting would be useless.

They nevertheless continue bringing the stuff to the house with Temari having a fit at how cute the baby crib was. "Only the best for the kazekage." Another Shinobi answers with outmost resilience.

"Um, where is the Kazekage by the way?" The shinobi with an Inu mask then asks Sakura with politeness. The Sand Nin's fellow colleagues look rather embarrassed to ask the question, but they did not bother to correct their fellowman and actually are anticipating an answer.

"Oh, he's in the living room with Kankuro." Sakura simply replies.

"With the General?" One of them asks, wanting reaffirmation.

"Yes." She informs.

"Can we… can we see him, Ma'am?" One member of the group asks in a polite way. She could only imagine their googly eyes behind those masks as they poised with good intentions.

"Er… Of course." She permits.

With one soundless shift of movement, they instantly appear on the living room and in front of a bewildered Kankuro and the infant. "W-what are you guys doing in here? Shouldn't you be off in your shifts guarding the village? Protecting the Kazekage?" The General scolds his attendants with complete hand gestures.

"We are Kankuro-sama..erm..Sort of. We just stopped over to deliver the Kazekage's new furniture." One of them answers for the group.

"And see how the Kazekage is doing." One replied from the bunch.

They seem rather distracted at the rattle that Kankuro is nonchalantly holding in front of them. "Um, Sir.."

"What?" Kankuro looks at his men, and then at the rattle he is holding. He drops the rattle with irritation and locks his arms.

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SUNA: **Tuesday/Sabaku Residence****/****Gaara's Room****/****7:00 AM**

Another morning. She wakes up at the sound of sobbing. "Okay, I'm awake." She confronts the teary eyed boy, his gooey pools of eyes sending sharp pangs of pain to her heart. "Great, now you have another super power to torture us with." She points out. And then notices that Gaara seems to take it personally. "No, no. I don't mind it." She combs his hair and kisses his tuft of red head, his eyes closing at the soft touch and his eyes opening wondering why it's gone again.

"Now let me get a good look at you." She sits on the bed to face him better and brings her hands on his tiny shoulders so he won't move for a moment. "You got bigger again." She says to her amazement.

He has thicker hair and now she can see some eyebrows. Eyebrows. Eyebrows. His skin is healthier looking, although they are paler than the normal average child. He's a lot chubbier and his bones has been growing normally, making him stand up straight and seemingly have a lot more energy. He looks up to her as if wondering why is she just sitting there and looking at him, his eyes more vibrant and lively than yesterday waiting patiently for her in anticipation. "Aww… I just want to eat you!" She spreads her arms around him and gives a squeeze.

He doesn't hug back, startled at her abrupt actions. Realizing she is right in front of him, she looks at him again and the far end of the corner of the bed. "How did you get out of the crib?" She looks at him questionably. "I probably got you out when you cried last night." Sakura had to sleep at Gaara's room last night; Gaara doesn't want her to leave him at the crib all alone. For an introvert, he is pretty demanding by hurting her ears. She stands much to the struggle of Gaara clinging on her.

"Now, now. I'll just go to the bath room okay?" She keeps the room and bathroom doors open as she brushes her teeth and washes her face. The bathroom has a sink with it and a large mirror. It is like a public onsen, having its own small pool and a separate shower with all sorts of greenery around. **'**_**These people sure like bath rooms.'**_ After rinsing her face, she looks at herself at the mirror and sees something very peculiar. It is Gaara, at the edge of the heated pool reaching over the water.

"Gaara!" She runs to where he was and grabs him before he could slip. "What were you doing? You shouldn't be playing with deep water! Deep water is bad, you understand?" She looks at the dazed boy; obviously he doesn't know what he is doing. "How did you get here in the first place?" She brings him down to the ground, far away from the mini onsen, and watches him. He sits there as she stares, wondering what she was waiting for. He then sees something shiny at the corner of his eye and then follows it. On all fours, he crawls up to it.

"You can crawl!" She picks him up again and starts to dance around with him on her arms.

"What's going on?" Temari comes up, her hair messy.

"Gaara can crawl now!" Sakura tells her.

"He can? That's great!" The blonde looks at Gaara and is also surprised out how much he grown. "He got bigger too!" She comes closer and rubs her eyes just to make sure.

"Yes, if he keeps it up he could be back to normal in no time." Sakura informs.

"Ow!" Temari reacts, as Gaara pulls his sister's hair. "And stronger.." The blonde enthusiastically expresses, although wincing from the temporary pain of the tug.

"So, what is our itinerary for today?" Sakura gets a comb and combs the blonde's hair.

"I don't know really, it's a Sunday so we don't have to go to work so early." Temari replied.

The toilet makes a flushing sound.

"No, we don't have to go to work at all." A guy answers, opening up the washroom door.

Kankuro comes up with paper on hand, only wearing his boxers and a huge shirt. His shabby way of making an entrance is followed along with a very foul smell.

"Eww… what is that?" Sakura asks as she pinches her nose and covers Gaara's as well.

"Oh God." Temari reacts, gets an air freshener from one of the shelves and out of routine targets Kankuro.

"That is eau de moa." The General breathes a big whiff. "Ahh, the smell of manliness in the morning!"

"That wasn't your manliness! That is an after effect of you going to the toilet!" Temari says, putting a towel on her face.

"Gah, it really reeks!" Haruno describes, tears are rolling off her eyes.

"This is why we keep the toilet and the bath room separate." Temari tells Sakura.

"You better be thankful that Gaara is not in the condition of making you pay for this!" Temari shakes her fist.

"Indeed I am." He tells them effortlessly. Temari, Sakura and Gaara get out of the room, unscathed, and eventually reach the kitchen area.

"That was insane." The pink haired kunoichi describes. "Having two brothers is the most unfortunate thing that would happen to you." The blue-eyed blonde states.

"What do you mean no work?" Sakura asks Kankuro while she coughed, pointing out what he mentioned before they were distracted of his stink. The guy gets out of the mass of green fog and seems rather accomplished.

"I mean we don't have to work today, we don't have to research either." Kankuro states.

"What? What about Gaara?" Temari asks.

"I know I'm being too blunt with this, but if there is one thing we learned about Gaara getting back to normal is that every time he has a good time, things won't get any worse." He tells them. The two girls seem to agree with the idea. "I think we can spare a day out of this hell hole, don't you?" Kankuro adds.

"I don't know… We really should find something that would get him back to normal faster." Temari says, thinking seriously about it.

"We only slept for minimum hours, which are bad enough after what we have been though. It's time to take a break, and make things better our way…" The man with messy bed hair reasons.

"A break huh.." Sakura ponders.

"I for one, need the break." Kankuro concludes, drinking a huge cup of coffee, recovering from the intense migraine he had after dealing with yesterday's Kazekage responsibilities.

The pink haired kunoichi looks at Gaara who is now sitting at his very own baby chair, looking at them with attentiveness. "Well, he does look healthy enough… and happy." The konoha medic reasons optimistically.

"Yes! See? Our little boy is happy!" Kankuro tosses the paper he was using for reading material to Temari much to her disgust.

"What are we supposed to do now then?" Sakura asks. "Well, after having some breakfast and taking a good shower." He says, taking a box of cereals out and a carton of milk. "Let's watch TV and have lunch breakfast, and after some more TV, some dinner breakfast." He gets a bowl and a spoon.

Temari throws the filthy paper on his face. "We are not going to do your own sense of lifestyle!" The blonde sister revolts. "Then what are we supposed to do then?" Kankuro questions.

"Let's go shopping!" Temari answers.

"Shopping?" Sakura seems to be enlightened.

"Yes, shopping! We'll get Gaara all these cute clothes he could wear, like small shoes!" The Suna prime minister says animatedly.

"That's a great idea, Temari!" Sakura says holding her hands. "I know, Isn't it though?" The blonde compliments herself. They both squeal in excitement.

"No, no, no, no! No way!" Kankuro protests.

"Why not?" The girls ask.

"Why not? Because it's boring, that's why not!" The general raves.

"Well, I don't want to sit around and do nothing when I can have the rest of the day looking for something my cute little brother can wear!" Temari shouts back.

"He can wear a sack used for potatoes for all I care!" Kankuro answers.

Temari gasps. "You wouldn't dare!" She threatens.

"I can and I will! Gaara is a man, he doesn't care of clothing! Right Gaara?" Kankuro looks at his brother. **Gaara farts.** "There see? Not a care in the world!" He proclaims his point.

"He's naked!" Temari points out.

"He's wearing a diaper, which counts as clothing!" Kankuro in turn tells her, defending his stand.

"It does not!" She retorts.

"Does to!" He retorts back. Sakura watches them as they went on barking at each other.

"My little brother is not going to walk around with a sack for clothes!" The blonde demands.

"Well, your OTHER little brother is not gonna walk around everywhere with heavy bags to carry!" Kankuro continues to insist, not wanting to spend his leisure time at the beck and call of women shopping.

"Both of you just stop it, alright?" The pink haired kunoichi interrupts, seeing as they look like they are about to bite each other's heads off. "What about going to a place where all of us can go?" She suggests. They look at her, they look at Gaara and they look at each other.

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SUNA: Tuesday/**Sabaku no kōkyō shihon'ichiba/Public Market Distruct/****Suna Bazaar****/****9:00 AM**

_The local bazaar is a place of entertainment, good food and shopping. Suna is famous for its grand bazaars, a festivity that is usually occasional for other villages but 24/7 at the village of sand. However, unlike any other village, Sabaku no mura is well known for its unique selection that is provided by not only suppliers from every village of the Sand country, but also the from other countries as well. Also, loyal Foreign Merchants, Traders, Pirates, and Gypsies from around the world continuously show and sell their rare and valuable wares, making this bazaar unique and unlike no other._

"You can find everything here in a cheap price.." Sakura continues to read from a brochure that is given to her, as they stroll through the bustling colourful alleyway.

"It's better to come here at night, where the real party starts." Kankuro advises her as he looks around the festivities, eager to lounge around and eat like crazy.

Temari starts visiting booth by booth, her ears pricking up every time someone shouts on sale. "Sakura, let's go over there!" She pulls her to one direction.

"W-wait! I'm not done reading the brochure yet!" Sakura can't get her footing, being dragged at an incredible speed.

"Take yer time girls, I'll be right here." The general finds the perfect chair at an open bar, watches front row at a local beetle wrestling match while munching on chips and gulping down on root beer.

"Isn't this wonderful?" Temari says, holding unto Sakura tightly as they check out the children's corner. "The best thing about picking the most adorable baby clothes is that you actually have a baby for them to wear!" She tells the pink haired kunoichi happily.

"Uhh, shouldn't that be the other way around?" Haruno points out.

"This is so exciting!" The blue-eyed blonde rummages at a stall, clothes everywhere. "We can get Gaara a doily, a froggy suit, we can even get him bunny ears and he wouldn't mind at all I can't wait until we could get him to use a tuxedo! He would look so handsome in one!"

"A doily? Froggy suit?" Sakura laughs lightly and shakes her head.

"What?" Temari asks Sakura, who looks at her with a grin.

"You just love shopping clothes, don't you?" Haruno tells the blonde. "I just love matching people with matching clothes." The blonde replies.

"Then why not wear clothes that matches you, too?" Haruno asks.

"You've been through my wardrobe, haven't you?" The blue-eyed blonde says with a nervous grin.

Sakura nods guiltily with a nervous grin.

"I know, it's just that I'm still building up my confidence to wear any of them." The Prime minster explains.

"They would really look good on you. You're the prime minister of Suna. If you can battle the whole country head on then you can strut and show how sexy you are." Sakura says making her blush.

"If there's one thing that I have in common with Shikamaru, it's that we have been modest all our lives. We forget how to turn it up a notch." Temari giggles and continues. "That's why I love that picture of me and him, because our faces are completely out of the ordinary." The blue-eyed woman adds.

"Temari, you're out of the ordinary every day." Sakura tells her. The blonde laughs happily.

"Ooh, these are cute." The blonde shows a pair of red mittens and socks, and then points on a pair of green tiny rubber shoes.

"This one will match those." Sakura comes across a nice green warm fluffy coat and a green bonnet to go with it. They also found a nice wool jacket, a green scarf, more socks, more shoes and all sorts that consist of red or green, black and even a hue of blue. Gaara is having fun being part of the pile of clothes that they are tossing over. He finds a silly hat and wears it.

The hat has a smiling frog's face with springy googly eyes on the top, and to their surprise, it matches many of the green clothes that they have taken. After they haul nearly everything in the stall, they go on to the next one that is filled with baby stuff, raving on a multi colored printed trolley that is on sale. They let Gaara, dressed in a plain green froggy with the froggy hat, sit there as they go on with their shopping, bringing him everywhere, back and forth. They pick out an apple green pacifier and give it to Gaara when he starts wailing due to impatience. His tears subside, liking his new way of killing time.

They find a baby diorama, decorated with bears that would dance; baby blanket with fluffy clouds; a green doily; more doilies and anything else that Gaara wouldn't dare wear or use in his life time. "I think we should call it a day." Temari says, her hands filled with bags that she can barely carry.

"Yeah, the little guy is tired too…" Sakura says, noticing that the trolley's pack is much heavier than Gaara himself. "I don't think we can go to the groceries, we can't manage all of this and then some. Let's go find Kankuro and go home, we can leave these there and go out again. No rush."

In a short time, they make it over to the place where Kankuro is, the guy shouting from the masses to the beetles fighting before them. "Come on you insect! I bet on yah, so you better win!" He bellows. Temari and Sakura try shouting from where they were but they couldn't.

"That idiot." The blonde murmurs. Among the noise, the prime minister signals Haruno to wait for her at a clear area, before diving in the cluster of people; pushing herself through the crowd to go where her brother is. Eventually she grabs the collar of Kankuro's shirt.

"Hey!" Her brother shouts in protest, trying to break free like a rebellious pet dog.

"Come on, let's go." She yanks him out of the crowd. "Wait, My beetle was winning! I'm about to win a fortune here!" He says, trying to shake her off.

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SUNA: Tuesday/**Nearby Suna Headquarters/Sabaku Residence****/****3:00 PM**

"Aah, home sweet home." Kankuro says, breathing the filthy air and dropping the bags unto the dirty ground.

"More like home smelly home." Temari snaps, pinching her nose. "Did any of us throw the trash lately?" The blue-eyed woman asks her fellow boarders.

"I don't think so." Sakura answers, she can smell the left over fish they had yesterday.

"This place is unhealthy for Gaara, he's likely to get sick from all of this." Temari tries picking some of the clothes lying on the ground, but when she finds some what might have been Kankuro's moldy underwear; she shivers out of disgust and gives Kankuro a nasty look.

"Well it's not like you can clean all of this yourself." Kankuro tells her sister, as drinks out of the countless glasses on the sink, not alarmed that he may be drinking something that may have been rotting for days now.

"For a General, you are most likely a threat to the human race than Gaara is." The blonde jokingly compliments. "Now, that's just exaggerating." He let out a belch.

"At least, Gaara kept things clean!" His sister tells him, disapproving of his burping.

"Well right now he's not. In fact, he's the one who made half of this mess since he got back here, you know!" Kankuro answers back.

"Well that's acceptable because right now, He's a baby! Now we don't need two babies in this house!" She points at Gaara, who looks like he is about to cry. "Oh no, it's not your fault Gaara… None of it is. Nee-chan is just trying to give a point to idiot Kanky." She turns and hits Kanky with a rattle that is on one of the bags. "Now look what you did! You made him sad!"

"Me? What about you? You're the one who started shoutin' in the first place!" The general retorts.

"Okay, that's enough already." Sakura rocks the stroller that Gaara is in. "I don't think we need the three of us to get some food, so why don't I just stay here and clean up a bit while you guys get the grocery." Kankuro and Temari look at each other and seem rather edgy but okay with the idea. "And just so you guys won't fight and forget what you're supposed to do, you can take Gaara with you."

"Well, that's okay I guess. But we wouldn't know what to get." Kankuro scratches his head.

"Don't worry; I made a list since you would be too lazy to make one anyway." Temari says, waving a long list on his face.

"This is going to take forever." Kankuro says, reading through the list.

"That's good. You three can have some bonding time while you're there." Sakura adds. Temari and Kankuro look at each other as if in an agreement.

"Okay, but I'll hold unto Gaara." Temari says, putting her shoes back on.

"What are you talking about? I'll be the holding unto him!" Kankuro insists, fitting his cat eared hoodie.

"See you guys when you get home, try to get along." Sakura pecks on Gaara's cheek and puts him on his new green coat and gives one of the frog hat's googly eyes a twitch. They run for the door, both of them holding on Gaara's stroller. Fortunately, Gaara is wearing a seat belt. The red head looks like he is asking for help as they try pushing themselves through the door.

"Stop pushing! You'll harm the baby!" Kankuro shouts. "You stop pushing!" Temari shouts back.

Eventually they have gotten out of the house with Gaara unscathed.

"Give me the stroller!" Kankuro orders his sister. "No, YOU give ME the stroller!" Temari responds.

Gaara whimpers. They walk slowly in silence.

"Give up the bloody stroller…" The General quietly says, now trying not to make the stroller shake too much from their pulling.

"Fine then, I'll take Gaara and you can keep the stroller." Temari hisses and cautiously gets Gaara unto her arms and runs for it. "Temari Teme!" Kankuro shouts as he follows.

"Stay safe!" The pink haired woman standing by the door shouts back like their mother. Sakura smiles, shuts the door and gives a sigh. "Well then, time to get to work."

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SUNA: Tuesday/Nearby Suna Headquarters/Sabaku Residence/**Lounge Area****/****3:20 PM**

She gets a hanker chief from her room and turns it to a head band, tying the knot tightly on her apron and giving a quick nod to prep her up. She starts at the living room, the place already have cockroaches crawling around. She finds a wash cloth, broom and duster, scrubbers and disinfectants from the kitchen and sucks as much air as she could before she starts cleaning the place. Soon everything was fixed except for the carpet. She decides to organize the cabinets that would most likely keep a vacuum cleaner and thankfully she finds one.

"Please don't die, please don't die, please don't die…" She says as she runs the vacuum on the heavy debris of the carpet, hoping the machine won't explode. Even with the carpet dirt free, stains and odd smells are all over… she has to throw the infested carpet.

She has to wear gloves as she dusts and gets all the clutter out of everywhere, she can open a trinket shop with all the old and useless junk she has found. She puts and sorts out the clothes that are lying around everywhere for washing later, and goes on to the kitchen and then the bathroom. Mould is everywhere and some of them looked really deadly. She washes every stack of dish and tile clean. Watering the plants and polishing the floors on the sauna of a bathroom and cleaning out the monster of a toilet have taken her a while.

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SUNA: Tuesday/**Local Grocery Store**/**3:40 PM**

"Haaah..We made it.." A relieved Temari said. They enter the super market, all flustered and out of breath, still holding unto the stroller.

"We're gonna tear this damn trolley apart with what we are doing." Kankuro huffs.

"You're right, let's take turns… You take Gaara now and when we leave, I'll take him." Temari wipes off sweat from her forehead.

"Agreed." His brother replies. They go off to a good start, Kankuro pushing the cart with Gaara in it and Temari checking the stuff off the list.

"Let's see, we have the fruits and the vegetables…" The blonde mutters.

"And the meat.." Kankuro added. "Yes… and the meat." She rolls her eyes.

"Now let's get some baby food." Temari checks off the meat.

"Isn't he still too young to eat baby food?" Kankuro asks as he read the labels on one of the tiny containers, telling the appropriate age to eat them.

"He grows real fast, we better get ready." The blonde suggests.

"Mashed peas and carrots? Gross. Don't they have mashed sausage and ground beef instead?" The General turns the glass container; the name of the unrecognizable food sickens him.

"Of course not, we don't feed meat to babies." The blonde answers.

"Why not? It's full of protein." Kankuro persists. "We just don't, okay?" His sister simply replies, not thrilled with the idea.

After they have gotten everything, they go to a cashier and pay for it. The cashier keeps glancing at both of them as she prices the items.

"Is there something wrong?" Temari asks the lady behind the counter. Realizing she was staring too long, she blushes and laughs at her own silliness.

"I'm sorry; it's just that for a family, you two are so unlikely. Your son took both of your features well." The cashier points out.

"Son?" Temari asks as she hands out some cash. "Yes, the baby is your son, right?" The lady on the other side of the counter presumes. The blonde gasps.

"He's not my son!" Temari replies.

"He's not?" The lady asks, her cheeks blushing.

Kankuro laughs. "Temari, you're so old that she thought Gaara is your son!" He teases, trying to control his amused reactions.

"Shut up!" His sister demands.

"Aren't you two a couple?" The cashier asks. The two sand siblings then look at her like she said something horribly long.

"No we're not!" Kankuro and Temari say with a hint of murderous intent.

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SUNA: Tuesday/**Nearby Sunakagure Headquarters/Sabaku No Residence/Kitchen Area**/**4:30 PM**

"Finished." When everything is set and done, she sprays some insecticide where the baby couldn't reach and nice floral scent to freshen up the place.

"What else is there to clean?" She looks around and sniffs some old stinky socks trailing to Kankuro's room. She opens the room and closes it in fear. "I think I need to borrow Kankuro's gas mask."

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SUNA: Tuesday/**Local Grocery Store**

"We are NOT a couple!" The Sand Siblings shout, defending themselves. "Oh... O-okay then, my apologies…" The cashier looks terrified.

"I'd rather be dead than to end up with someone like him!" Temari points at Kankuro. "I'd rather starve to death than to end with someone like her!" Kankuro points at Temari as well.

"T-then, who are the parents of the child?" The cashier asks. Gaara's eyes blinks innocently, completely unfazed at their quarrelling. This sort of topic is clearly out of the question.

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SUNA: Tuesday/**Nearby Sunakagure Headquarters/Sabaku No Residence/Lounge Area**/**5:00 PM**

Sakura rests on the front couch of the living room, wiping off a smudge of dirt from her hand. She hears sudden and hasty knocking.

"Come in, doors open." Haruno tells them.

"We're back. Tadaima." Kankuro mutters absentmindedly. They remove their shoes and start hustling inside.

"Okaerinasai." Sakura warmly replies at the two siblings who are still troubles at what the Store cashier told them.

"I can't believe that she thought I am his mother!" Temari hooks her outer yukata coat on the back of the door.

"Just forget about it, it was a reasonable mistake." Kankuro sighs, tired of her yapping to him about it ever since they got out of the store.

"No it wasn't! She even thought we are a couple! Isn't that stupid?" The blonde persists, wanting to talk about the issue.

"Now _**that**_ was an unreasonable mistake." Kankuro agrees.

"But that lady..has a point..the red head doesn't have a parent figure." Temari notes.

"Meh, we'll figure it out." The general concludes.

"Hey guys, how was it?" Sakura asks taking Gaara from the trolley to crawl around the place as much as he likes. Noticing this, the two siblings look around to find the place sparkling clean.

"Wow, you really fixed this place up." Temari smudges her finger to a lamp and finds it dustless.

"Amazing. You clean this place in such a short time!" Kankuro shouts, praising her.

"It helps when you are a medic and have super human strength." Sakura answers.

"I bet you had trouble cleaning my room." Kankuro proclaims without being embarrassed, proud of his filth.

"Well, not really." Sakura helps Temari fix the groceries and put them on the right place.

"You didn't have a problem at all?" He kneels to confront a squirming Gaara, giving a rattle from his pocket.

"No. That's because I threw everything that was in there other than your bed." Sakura confides without guilt.

"You did what?!" He leaves Gaara to shake the rattle around and runs quickly towards his room.

The girls close their ears, just as he was about to scream. "GAAAAAHHHH!" He shouts as he returns to the kitchen. "My stuff! Where did you put my stuff?" Kankuro asks.

"I threw them away of course." Sakura informs emotionlessly.

The general proceeds to going out of the house, in order to salvage any of the stuff thrown out.

"Too late." The pink kunoichi comments, stopping the man from his goal.

"What? Whaddya mean too late?" Kankuro asks, looking like he is about to have a heart attack.

"The garbage truck already passed by, they're all gone." Sakura tells him mercilessly. Kankuro collapses to the floor and Gaara crawls to him and starts hitting him on the stomach with his rattle.

"My hentai CD collection... hentai mangas… the whole icha icha paradise franchise… GONE!" The young man's decorated face forms an anguished purple mess. Temari is shocked but impressed. "Even my clothes!?" Kankuro then asks, hoping that at least his wardrobe is spared. Sakura nods, clearly not pleased by his smelly fashion sense.

"You go girl." Temari and Sakura do a high five.

"All my stuff! All my perverted stuuuufff!" Kankuro whines.

"They're not good to be around when there's a kid living with you, what if he goes inside your room and finds all those nasty stuff in there? You shouldn't have them in the first place!" Sakura retorts.

"Because he won't go there! I'll forbid him to go there!"

"He's gonna get curious one way or another, wondering why you spend a lot of time in there." Temari says, now helping Sakura by chopping up some herbs.

"Well when he becomes a teenager, he's gonna be curious of **other** things." Kankuro takes Gaara, brings him to his lap and sits the island table where the girls are cooking. "And when he will be curious of these **other** things…" He adds air quotes. "I'll be the one who's gonna be answering the questions…" He says with a perverted grin.

Sakura gasps, Temari closes Gaara's ears just in case he might hear. "Kankuro… you will do no such thing!"

"I can and I will!"

"I forbid you!" Temari yells, threatening him.

"Well who's gonna be the one who will talk to him about the bees and the flowers?"

Sakura drops her knife. "Augh, I cannot believe that you're thinking of telling Gaara something as lame as that!"

"It's not lame! It's educational and not so perverted, just the way you like it!"

Temari shakes her head. "That is so wrong."

"I can't wait to tell him that story, and maybe we can even go to a public onsen together… peek around... hehehehe…" He fantasizes, blood dripping from his nose.

Temari takes Gaara and hits Kankuro with a pan. "Don't think about perverted things while Gaara is with you!"

"Ouch!" The general rubs his nose. "What's for dinner anyway?"

"Ramen. Naruto said I can open a shop with my recipe."

"That's okay, but what is the little kid gonna eat?"

"We bought baby food from the shop, could we try it?" Temari shows a container of the stuff. "I guess we could try, he is likely to be in that stage already." Sakura acknowledges.

"Need some help with those noodles?" Kankuro notices the unwoven dough. "You can make noodles?" Sakura questions.

"Of course I can, I've mastered the art of noodle making. Gaara can help too." He rolls up his sleeves and gives a tiny ball of the dough to Gaara to play with. When Kankuro starts pulling the dough like taffy, Gaara follows him by clapping his hands together. He tosses the dough up and down before punching and molding it on the floured wooden mat on the table. Gaara throws it high up in the air but it ends up in Sakura's hair. Temari and Kankuro starts snickering behind her back, not telling her what hit her.

But she soon finds out after giving her hair a pat and looking at Gaara who looks rather fascinated that the sticky ball wouldn't come down from her head. After a while of throwing fish cakes and dough balls at each other, they sit down to enjoy a nice warm meal of ramen. Gaara is a mess so Temari changes him to his jammy clothes; she makes him use a cute panda suit. The panda suit had ears on its hoodie and a little panda face on it. His hands and feet are like paws and like a panda he looked like the most adorable furry endangered species they had ever seen.

"When he gets older, I'll be the one in charge of his wardrobe." Kankuro looks embarrassed for his little brother who tries, in vain, to remove his hood but couldn't because he can't reach it with his own hands. He looks like a baby panda trying to scratch his ear. He gleefully takes pictures though before helping Gaara out by pulling the hood off of him. "I could sell this off on the internet, I can make a fortune!" He says with enthusiasm and dollar signs on the pupil of his eyes. He can see it now.

They switch the wide screen TV and go to a news channel, the newscaster telling information about the present sand storm.

"It's gonna be a long one this time." Kankuro puts the wiggly Gaara on his high chair, giving his red hair a scrub before settling down on his own chair.

"Well, it's a good thing we're at home safe and warm." Temari puts a little green blanket over Gaara's little shoulders. This makes him look like a panda that rolled over on a hill of grass.

"With a nice bowl of noodles." The general adds, rubbing his hands together as Sakura gives him a bowl. The two siblings sit on sides of Gaara while Sakura sits in front of him.

"Here you go..." Sakura gets a spoonful of baby food and tries feeding it to Gaara who looks squeamish, trying to avoid the food. "He doesn't like it."

"That's not good." Kankuro says, sipping his noodle soup.

"What if someone shows him how yummy it really is?" Sakura gives the gooey food a second look but didn't like it either; she offers it to Temari who also gave it a no.

"Give me that." Kankuro grabs it and uses his own spoon, gobbling the gunk down. Gaara watches him intently, now interested at the green stuff that would seem so tasty.

"Hmmm, yummy mashed peas and carrots! Num, num, num…" He said with a straight face. "Okay, now it's your turn." He takes Gaara's spoon and starts to feed him.

Gaara opens his tiny mouth hesitantly, and gives a bite. He moves his jaw up and down, following Kankuro when he ate it. He gulps the glob of food down.

"He ate it! Our little boy ate it all up, who's a good boy!" Temari cuddles him and gives a kiss.

"I am." Kankuro secretly pukes on the sink, away from Gaara's view.

"Good job Kankuro." Sakura pats him on the back, giving him a glass of water.

"Yeah, good one Kanky. I can't believe you managed to do it." The blonde tells her brother.

"Yeah well, its carrots and peas. What's the harm of it?" The general says, finding the task to be seemingly easy.

"Uh… no its not. It's pumpkin and broccoli." The pink haired kunoichi corrects, showing the label of the small glass container of baby food.

Kankuro pukes again.

The girls laugh as Gaara is enjoying his bowl of veggie puree, Kankuro finally turning back to his normal colour got his appetite back.

"I want to feed him." Temari exclaims as she reaches for the spoon.

"No, I do!" Kankuro snaps, grabbing the spoon.

"You already had your turn!" The blonde replies.

They sit close together, now enjoying their meal: Kankuro slurping the noodles without even stopping to breathe, Temari offering another spoonful of the green stuff making fuzzy noises as she did. Sakura, advising Kankuro to pause before he chokes, looks unto Gaara's direction and smiles. No matter how the wind howled or how the sand pounded so harshly, they seem so indifferent and inviting. Gaara watches these people feeling warmth completeness inside, it felt like the walls and the roof over their heads. That he is home, that he is part of a family.

"What's wrong, Temari?" Sakura asks.

"It's Gaara…" The blonde points out who enchanted her. They all look at the boy together, who continues to look at them the same way.

"He's smiling."

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**Gaara's current age:** **Six Months Old**

**Time since redevelopment:** **3 Days**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	4. His first laugh

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His ****First Laugh"**

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**Gaara's Age:** **1 Year Old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **2 Weeks**

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**SUNA: Monday/Nearby Sunakagure Headquarters/****S****abaku No Residence/6:00 AM**

You can hear a toilet flushing furiously, and then smell something that is not of this world. There is a washroom door in front of you. You dare not to open it. The person inside flushes the toilet once more. And then again. Finally satisfied, you can hear toilet paper being unrolled. Wads and wads of it. The smell is unbearable. When you hear the sound of the door opening, you run away. Out came a messy looking guy who just got out of his bed and found the washroom all on his own. Finding you people there with him, he didn't care that he is only in a large shirt and boxers apparel.

Without the purple removable tattoo on his face, he looks pretty good looking. He has dark brown hair and tanned looking skin, large golden coloured pupils, and dominant features. Yup, not a very bad looking guy. _'__**What are you guys looking at?'**_He asks the crowd. '_**Wait a second..Am I shouting my thoughts right now?'**_ He looks at us with surprise and excitement. _**'That is so awesome!**__**Mic check, mic check..Echo Echo..'**_He grins at the crowd with delight.A very obnoxious looking grin. _**'Hello fine foxxy ladies, it's me Kankuro no Sabaku.**__**The great General of Suna! Muahaha!'**_

Crickets can be heard in the background._ '__**And the Big brother of Gaara..'**_A loud applause came out from the computer sighs. _'__**Typical.'**_

He hears some noise coming out of the kitchen. "Who's there?" He asks with a commanding voice. Thinking that it might be some robber trying to get in at 5am in the morning, he equips himself with the daily newspaper that assisted him on his toilet adventures. He motions to the kitchen cautiously, only to find Gaara in a mess of flour and all sorts of baking materials crawling around in the floor. "Oh, it's just you" Kankuro tosses his newspaper aside to pick up his little brother like a little lost puppy, taking him by the shoulders and bringing him to a baby chair.

"What are you doing here this early in the morning kid?" He asks, brushing his matte red hair. Like an animal, he reacts with him brother's touch like a good pat in the head.

"Bhuu.." Gaara merely answers. Kankuro's stomach started to growl. Gaara's tummy started growling as well.

"So..you're hungry huh..me too.." He puts a bib on Gaara and started to scavenge for food. "Let's see what we have here..ah, here we go!" He comes back with wheat meal. He puts the flour looking substance unto a pot with water, and started boiling breakfast. "Haaaah.." He sighs, and looks at Gaara who in turn stares at him with bright attentive eyes, his body covered with globs of dough. "You're a mess." He says, attempting to talk to the child. "Then again, I'm a mess too." He stretches his limbs, as he did his bones started to make funny sounds.

Gaara looks amused. The boy attempts to copy his 'Uncle', but could only move his neck from side to side. Kankuro yawns. Gaara yawns just as well.

The pot started to sing, telling him that the food is about to be finished. _**'This is my present life, taking care of my little baby brother all over again.'**_He stirs the wheat as he ponders on._**'It's not bad really. Actually it's awesome. Except for the fact that I have to handle Gaara's poo once in a while.'**_Realizing that he might need to the dirty deed yet again, he sniffs the air for smell other than boiling wheat and turns to look at Gaara cautiously. He finds the little guy ogling over a spoon that reflects his face. Kankuro sighs with relief._**'I can't wait to make fun of him when he gets back to normal..'**_

He hums as he puts the wheat on putting a bib on Gaara, he sits with his baby brother face to face. The kid looks at him intently as hi big brother eats with a spoon."Yep, slurp, yummy stuff.." He could handle a little porridge, but he wouldn't mind if it was a big bowl of beef. "Ahh, meat meat where are yah..well..the girls are still sleepin it off so I guess this will have to do.." He digs for another spoon, and then realizes that Gaara is copying his actions. He raises his hold on the spoon lightly; his brother raises his baby spoon as well._**'I never thought that he would imitate me like this.'**_

Gaara spills his wheat out of the bowl, but manages to keep his hold on his spoon.

'_**Which by the way is AWESOME!'**_Inner Kankuro is virtually having a sob fest at this chuckles._**'Ahh..If Gaara could only see himself now..'**_ He puts the spoonful of wheat in his mouth. Gaara ended up lodging his spoon on his cheek. "Th-that's okay buddy..pffft..um..keep on trying." Kankuro said, controlling his amused reaction. '_**HAHAHAHAHAHA!'**_ Gaara this time directs the spoon onto his nose, now covered with gooey porridge. Kankuro chokes from his food from trying in vain to control his emotions in. _**'Haha! -Choke Choke- Hahaha!'**_

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SUNA: **Tuesday**/**Suna Hospital/6:00 PM**

'_**The Kazekage of Suna..A Baby.'**_ Kankuro sighs as he holds on to his brother, trying to keep him from moving a lot as they do a medical check-up. _'__**It is still so new for me to hold my little brother like this, especially since the normal Gaara would never let me get any closer than three feet.'**_ Gaara struggles from his brother's hold, puckering his mouth away from the wooden popsicle-like utensil they are trying to make him couldn't help but laugh at the sight of his brother who is looking so tortured when he can break a wall with one lift of a finger.

'_**Pffft...can't..stop laughing..'**_ Gaara continues on kicking like crazy, tickling his brother's stomach. "Temari, you take him." He said while keeping his laughter from coming out, though his nose is flaring like crazy. "What? Why?" Temari asks. "Just do it." He gives Gaara to his sister, and then excuses himself as he snickers on a corner. _**'**__**Too..haha..Too damn cute!'**_ He tugs his hoodie on the ears, controlling his urge to hug his brother like a plushie thing.

"Say Aaaahh" Sakura says, waiting for Gaara to imitate her. Gaara opens his mouth as wide as he can, showing his teeth that grew pretty well.

Kankuro joins in after laughing hysterically and scratching an ear while he was outside observing the boy, looking at Gaara's mouth as it is being probed. _**'Odd that teeth can actually tell what age a person really is.**__**The body does have a lot of oddities..like how I manage to make earwax balls every morning..'**_ "So, how's it goin?" He asks, peering on some baby molars. Gaara hits Kankuro's chin with his uncontrollable fist. "Ouch! Stay still will yah!"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to surprise Gaara with your scary face?" Temari reasons for her little brother. "Well excuuuse me for looking so dashing." He said, striking a pose. Temari looked like she was about to gag. Sakura keeps Gaara's head still and holds his jaw to keep him from moving, knowing full well that age can at times be seen in just how many teeth a child has.

"So… How old is he?" Kankuro asks. "He's a year and a few months old." Sakura replies. The two siblings sigh in relief. It has been an hour since they have started this examination on Gaara, and they have been getting good results. Measuring what he weighs, his height, his skull and whatever else that will tell them what his age exactly is. "Wow… a year old… It's only been – " Kankuro starts. "Two weeks…" Temari murmurs. The three look at the boy with wonder, watching the child as he chews on Sakura's stethoscope and drooling on it.

"So the theory…" The pink kunoichi looks at the two just as stunned people._** 'I can't believe it..Whatever we were doing..It's working.'**_

Temari nods in agreement while Kankuro seemed daze at such an idea. "It's about to be a fact."

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SUNA: **Wednesday**/**Sand Council Court**/**First Session/4:00 PM**

Kankuro looks as depraved as Temari and Gaara as they watch and listen as Sakura talks to the Suna elders about Gaara's current condition. Being excited since early morning about whether there were good results in Gaara's current condition, he didn't bother to take a bath. He graced the courts of Suna with a self-arranged mess of formal yukata clothing, bed hair and sand on his eyes.

'_**How annoying.'**_He tossed his wooden slippers on the side, making a loud clunkering sound, alarming the already seated officials and took his seat as the current general, seating on the middle of the higher court without even greeting the elders formally. _**'Sitting around with old people will be the death of me. I have been filling in for Gaara as Kazekage for some time, but I still can't get used to it.'**_

Temari wearing a formal outfit as well, as any would when residing the Suna courts, is accompanied with Gaara in the anbu audience to be protected as they witness the child's evaluation to the public. They all look at her as if what she said is the most confusing and surprising thing they heard all day… maybe even all their lives. "So is it positive?"

"Yes, the experiments have proven most of it. And for the past few days, it has shown more results than we can present to you all." She looks at the direction where Gaara is, they all do as well and understood in a glance what she is saying might just be right. The child is fast asleep in his sister's arms. Kankuro, finding all of their stares intimidating, edges from his seat like he would wrestle anyone down if ever they go near them.

"Astounding…" The sand council observes in a safe distance. "Remarkable…" The large auditorium like room is buzzed with excitement as they exchange astonished words.

"This is likely due to the fact that the medicine has inhibited his thought of development that was focusing more on his past behaviours but is backfired to instead of retracing from his memories, he retraces back to childhood and thus influencing him dramatically speaking." She informs, and then performs the necessary presentation for them to understand better. She uses a mouse as an experiment, inducing it with the same formula that was inflicted on Gaara. The results are shocking.

At first, it seems like there was nothing wrong. In fact, it has forgotten that it was eating a piece of cheese moments ago. But then the mouse started to radiate the same kind of chi that Gaara was affected in, reverting back to a small baby hairless mouse in mere seconds. Everyone reacted loudly. "Is this even possible? What is the cause of this breakthrough?" One of the elders asked.

Sakura didn't like how this abnormality is being treated as, but she answers the person politely. "His emotions affect him physically, just as it usually happens with the most of us. But the side effects of the particular drug that he was induced with seem to have warped his usually normal reactions to become more dominant and excessive. As a defence mechanism, Gaara's body regenerates..no..degrades into its former form to survive from what the subject was exposed of."

They started to talk amongst themselves seriously. "So… What are your suggestions, Miss Haruno?"

"I suggest we keep him stable enough by making grow more efficiently, the medic team is working on a cure. Until then, we can keep doing things the way they are. He's growing really well without any medicated intervention. In fact, he might even be able to grow back to his original age in no time." She says with optimism influencing unusually positive conversations started bursting on every corner. "But of course making Gaara grow naturally with such foreign drug in his body is unheard of, we are working on a cure as we speak and then the kazekage will soon be back to normal in no time."

The crowd have a different reaction far from the General's relieved looking face. Kankuro looks at the crowd suspiciously. _'__**What are these geezers talkin about now?'**_ The normal bustling reaction is quieted down with what she had said, looking at each other and started whispering. "You are working on a cure for this illness of his?"

Sakura in turn looks at them weirdly, thinking why they need to ask such an obvious question. "Yes, a cure. We are on its last stages of experimentation; we can provide it very soon."

Kankuro nods in solemn agreement, but unlike his reaction, the latter crowd looked rather disdained and stricken with problem. They seem undetermined and started fighting amongst each other in debate. Sakura frowning at this uncalled for reaction, could not understand why they are having such negative reactions. _**'There is a cure. What is wrong with that?'**_

"Miss, can you be excused out of the room so we may discuss some issues with other members of the council?" One of them dictates, careful not to sound to rude.

The pink haired girl hesitates; thinking will be some kind of horrible prediction if she goes out of the room. But seeing as Kankuro will be staying to watch out whatever they are going to discuss, she obliges with a growing mistrust at the elders. "Of course…" She feels overwhelmingly confused, but she steps down from the stage and leaves the stadium to for them to address whatever was going on properly; without Sakura Haruno around. Kankuro and Temari feel uncertain as well, but they keep their mouth shut until they find out what exactly are they planning on.

'_**What are these idiots thinking, are they sceptical about the cure? About Sakura's capabilities? Or maybe..her capabilities are beyond their expectations..'**_ Kankuro gazes judgementally at the astonished, worried faces that are ravishing the audience. Praying that whatever these old fools are collaborating for, won't be just as stupid as the previous one.

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SUNA: Wednesday/**Sand Council Court**/**Second Session/5:00 PM**

Although they did wanted her not to be in the room, they did not say she could stand next to it. Thus Sakura stands by the entrance, the doors closed and soundless, until Kankuro goes out of the room, followed by numerous loud ranting. The General doesn't look so happy. _**'Those idiots.'**_ Kankuro could only clench his teeth and stare straight ahead to keep his emotions in control. Sakura looks at his irritated reactions with concern. He looks at Sakura, and did not know what to say..did not know how to say it. "What's going on?" She asks.

"It looks like they're fighting over the cure…" He answers; pretending that he also do not know what is going on. One of the guards comes out and tells her that she can come in. _**'She can't handle this on her own..'**_He follows her as they go back into the large dome of a room, the air now heavy and serious. Sakura walks to the podium, holding unto it as if anticipating a strong wave of willpower.

"Miss Haruno… About this cure…" One of them stands, referring to her respectively. She sighs, breathing out the tension and keeps a steady grip on the podium. "Yes?"

"We would like it if you would refrain from making the Kazekage take it, and instead focus on further research."

"What… I don't understand…" Sakura swears she didn't hear what they just told her, but she did hear. And she doesn't like it. She purses her lips and they try as much as possible to keep her mouth small and controlled. "With all due respect, this is a cure… he has to take it."

"Yes, we know that. But we want the latter." They demand. "And that is?" Sakura asks with a grin, edging them to dare say whatever they plan to insinuate with intimidation.

Their representative hesitates, but is determined to tell the news enforced by his superiors. "That the Kazekage will go through this childhood, a better childhood. Until he becomes normal again."

"Are… Are you sure? This is…" Sakura starts laughing nervously. _**'That is the scariest bluffing laugh I have ever heard.'**_ Kankuro thought, he couldn't help but blurt out a scoff either.

"Yes, we know. But Gaara is already in this useful situation, we might as well make the most of it."

"A normal childhood? How can you accept this as normal?" She questions. The people didn't look too normal themselves after all, treating all of this like an amazing discovery. How they react in such a vegetative state is irritating Sakura and the rest of the Sabaku family.

"What stupid geezers.." Temari adds in this conversation. Kankuro could not muster a reply; he just wants to sink his knuckles on this people's faces.

"If he still undergoes this transformation, I can't tell what happens next…" Sakura states this with pure dread. She really does not know how far this sort of normal development will go, it is an unpredictable state of growth she has yet to understand. "We can't say that this process will keep on going. We can't be certain that he can go through this as it is!" She says this with a loud dominant voice, telling them that this is clearly serious business. It seems that nobody is listening to her sincerely. Except for Gaara who, after hearing Sakura's estranged voice, awakes from his slumber.

Temari, who busily keeps her gaze on the event, didn't realize that he has opened his eyes. His vision in a blur, until he sees Sakura from far away… far away from him.

"Yes, Miss Haruno, we understand." The leaders try to assure her with hollow words, but Sakura shakes her head at them in disbelief.

"No, I don't think you understand." She argues bluntly. Then they started speaking loudly in protest, thinking that increasing the volume would help them prove their point. She heaves a sigh noisily, massaging her skull in irritation. "Listen...Listen to me!" Sakura shouts, trying in vain to get their focus back. But they still continue on with their ranting.

Kankuro slams his hand on his desk, telling them he is not in the mood of this nonsense. "All of you fuckers better shut up or else you idiots won't get this right!" He shouts in anger.

They take their seats and follows the general politely, awkward as they reduce their words into mumbles, falling silent almost instantly.

"Gaara might be stable now, but after these stages…" Sakura starts, her eyes darting at the possible disastrous conclusions. "After he goes through this childhood that you want from him, we can't be certain that your conclusion will be what it could be." She explains. Finally, the Sand council finally take a moment before letting one of them answer for the whole, having thought their answer before Sakura protested.

"We are willing to take that risk." They decide. She looks at them with disbelief, perceiving that they have lost their minds.

Kankuro lowers his head, ashamed at his own people for thinking so idiotically. But somehow..he feels slightly relieved. _'__**I..I don't feel that apprehensive at all..'**_

"What exactly do you want?" Sakura grips on the newly furnished podium, now breaking its sides in anger and in disappoint. Kankuro looks at Sakura as if she was asking him that question directly. "That Gaara will grow up to be what you want him to be? Isn't he fine just the way he was? We can cure his aggressions just fine!"

'_**What do..What do I want?'**_ Those words struck a nerve to Kankuro, who finds that he is realizing why he feels neutral at this suggestion that the elders are enforcing.

"But this… this… He could die from it." Haruno warns in frustrated desperation. And yet, they keep silent.

'_**Gaara..Gaara could die..'**_ Kankuro didn't like that idea. But closing his eyes, and recalling the nightmares that Gaara went through almost half of his life..Dying might actually be a small risk.

"Answer me Dammit!" Sakura breaks the piece of the podium and flings it to the floor. It's been a while since she scolded people just as her master would, and she thought caring for a child has made her soft. Maybe caring for a kid made her more of a shouting harpie mother. Gaara, startled with the crashing noise, looks at her with worry and he starts to struggle from Temari's arms.

"Gaara, Shhh!" Temari hisses, trying to quiet him down.

Kankuro links his fingers together and contemplates seriously about this realization. '_**Is it possible..to change his childhood into a better one?..Is it...Worth it?**_** Worth enough to lose him forever?**'

"We don't know if he could remember everything, in the end he might not remember anything at all when he gets back to normal." Sakura reasons. "In the end, he might not be the same person, he can also be worst. Please take this in consideration." The pink haired woman warns. "Kankuro…" An elder interrupts his pondering. The General stands from where he was, to address them properly. "Have there been any changes on Gaara's behaviors from when he was at this last state these past few days?" The elder asks.

"Well… He was a lot different actually." He says uncomfortably. Sakura gives him a look that tells him he isn't helping. "When he was at that age he is now… let's just say he's a lot happier than he was." He scratches his head. "He is more dependable to us, more open… I know that it just can't be said in his age, but when Gaara was at this age, he was beyond normal than he is… now." Kankuro looks at Sakura who is looking worried and helpless with apologetic face.

Sakura can't counter that, knowing that she did not grow up together with him as Kankuro did. The high elder looks at them both, finding that what the General's and the Kunoichi's reaction to be more than enough to make a decision. "Then, it's settled." The elder said in a wise tone. Haruno shakes her head in disagreement. "No. No, you can't do this…" She walks in front of the dismembered podium. "You are not in the position to be giving out these orders this time." She states, remembering that they just don't have the right at all.

"Yes, we know that. That's why we are asking for the General's and the Minister's approval." The crowd look at the two leaders of Suna with confidence, knowing that they would make the right decision.

At first, Sakura looked relieved. But then she sees Kankuro's undetermined face, looking at his sister for support. Temari nods at him, telling him that he knows what they have to decide. The blonde stands from the silenced crowd, looking at Sakura with a 'please understand' look. "I know it's a long shot Sakura, but with you here… We have a chance."

"Temari..Kankuro…" She looks at the blonde and the hooded guy. "I can't promise you that." Sakura says with real concern. "You don't need to promise anything…" Kankuro answers, assuring her no responsibility. "But Sakura...Gaara's been through shit." The elderly group darts their eyes at him, implying on his cuss. The young man didn't care however.

"Kankuro… He can die…" She tells him with emotion. "Sakura, he was dead all his life… he was dead in the first place." Kankuro looks over Gaara's direction, seeing Gaara chew on Temari's arm. "I always wanted to go back to the time where I could fix things… This time, we actually have a chance to make things right. I think we owe him this much..I..We really think we do." Kankuro said with a guilt that has been going on for quite some time. Sakura closes her eyes, she understands what this means for them. Even if it is a heavy risk.

"He might not remember whether he did all the things with us in the end, he might not remember anything at all. He could die…" She asserts, as a last attempt.

Kankuro nods, telling her that he understands just as much. Sakura lowers her devastated gaze, looks up in the ceiling as if to get things together. When Gaara sees her face, a strong feeling to get to where she is and make her feel better starts to get the best of him. He moves violently this time, kicking wildly and squirms relentless. He starts to whimper and then mumbles, and manages a loud cry. Hearing this, Sakura looks at Gaara, who looked helpless as he sees her troubled eyes. "Alright.. Okay..I'll try." Sakura finally agrees.

"Thank you for your support, Miss Haruno. We hope this doesn't render your mission to be any more reckless." The high elder abruptly interrupts. "Its fine, I'm used to recklessness." She replies.

"Now the only problem we have to discuss now is what would be the best way to influence the Kazekage the way we want him to be."

_**'The way they wanted him to be...'**_ He repeats for himself. Kankuro grudgingly grips the handle of his chair.

Gaara bites Temari on the arm, making her let him go. "Ouch, Gaara! Erm..Gaara…" She calls on quietly, not wanting to alert the people. She looks at the every direction from where she is seated, but there is too many people huddled together that she can't see where the toddler has gone. The kazekage, on the other hand, crawls under the chairs and slowly makes it out of the stall that was blocking him away from Sakura.

Kankuro gives an apologetic glance at Sakura who, in turn, gives a small smile to accept his gesture. She confronts the group discussing what they can do and what will be best for Gaara, blowing a stray bang from her vision. With the distracting hair away from her view, she realizes something seems wrong at the picture. She looks at where Gaara is supposed to be, finding Temari looking very distressed and pacing at her seat. Her arms empty, the trolley unsettled. "Gaara!" Someone shouts. Sakura turns her head to where that voice came from.

Kankuro waves his hands in desperation at somewhere across from the platform she is standing in. The child slowly makes it through the tall stairs. His red head poking from where she was, just a climb away to where he could get to her. "Gaara?" She calls out disbelievingly.

Now alert at the voice who called his name, he crawls out of the steep stairs and to the safe wooden floor.

"Gaara, what are you doing here?" She starts walking to where he is but stops in shock as Gaara looked like he is about to fall back to the twenty step stairs. "Gaara, no!" She runs but slows down, realizing what the Kazekage was actually doing. "Oh my…" Temari watches in terror, the council and the rest of the audience numb as they see Gaara right on the stage, looking like he was about to fall.

"Gaara!" Temari shouts. "Sakura, don't just stand there! Do something!" Kankuro instructs. The numbness of the audience gone, the people around shouted as well, reacting at every toss and wobble of The kazekage's head and knees. Kankuro tries to go to where Gaara is, but there is too many people and chairs from where he is, taking him too long to proceed.

Gaara falls from his disorientations and, in mere centimetres, from falling to his death. He starts to sob, tears rolling from his eyes. His bum hurts and his legs feel like jelly. What's worse is that he is far away from the one that comforts him so. Seeing him so flustered, she smiles and bends to her knees with her arms reaching for him. "Gaara." She says in a comforting manner. He looks up to find Sakura on her knees, beckoning him. "It's okay Gaara-bear, come here." She looks confident and serene, as if knowing very well that he could do it.

"Come on, It's okay… you can do it." She encourages. He bends his knee, supporting him as he struggles to stand. He still wobbles a bit, but he balances himself by weighing his little arms as soon as he feels like he'd fall on either side. He confronts her now, with two and not four feet. They all quiet down, looking at the miracle that is occurring before their very eyes.

"That's it… Now come here little bear… come on…" She beckons softly. He takes his first step forward, his arms keeping him from losing his stability. And then he brings the other padded foot together with the other. "That's right… you're doing fine…" The pink haired girl continues to extend her hands, staying confident and proud at the child. He, in return for her encouragement, takes another step, now even more stable. And then another, steadily walking towards her. "There you go." She tells him, assuring that he is doing a spectacular job.

He slowly begins to smile, but then his foot slips. The audience gasps, alarmed but keeps on with their gaze. "It's okay… get back up… You can do it…" Sakura urges.

He stares at her helplessly, losing confidence. But for some reason, he feels that if he doesn't reach her, she might leave. He tries to get up again; and, this time, with much resolve, walks his newfound best. "That's it… a few more." Haruno assures, still letting him come to her independently. He keeps his eyes on her and her arms that looked as inviting as the first light of day. He reaches for her now, filled with a sense of reaching and anticipation. He trips again with his last step, but just before he is about to fall, Sakura catches him and holds him tight. "You did it Gaara! You did it!" She cheers.

The crowd starts to cheer and claps in enthusiasm, the council also applauds in a failing discreet manner. Kankuro stands at the center of it all, standing with his hands on his sides, proud and smug of his little brother's achievement. Temari shouts as well, overjoyed and relieved, taking the camera from the baby pack and throws it to Kankuro's direction which was closer to the scene. Kankuro gets the camera and takes pictures of the two. After a while, everyone quits down as professional as they should.

"Erm—" An elder coughs. "Best regards to the Kazekage, for taking his first steps successfully in our presence." He compliments. Sakura and Gaara are still on the stage. The pink haired kunoichi is too busy giving the kazkage his pacifier to notice their pleased gestures. "I think we all know who is the answer of our problems.." The elder continues, the council look at each other in agreement at their approval of Sakura. The siblings look just as unwavering and cohesive to this idea. Sakura looks back at all of them and then at the baby in a questionable look. "What are you guys looking at?" She asks.

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SUNA: Wednesday/**Suna Public Park**/**6:00 PM**

"ME? His MOTHER?" She expresses with shock. Sakura, Temari, and Kankuro are now out of the building, finally done with the meeting. It has taken them half of the day, and now it is noon. They decided that they will spend the rest of the day on the park, where Gaara can enjoy himself as they discuss their abnormal circumstances. Sakura who is currently carrying the boy, looks like she is about to let Gaara fall. Temari takes him, just in case, to let her sink in to the idea. "I-I can't! It's too much of a responsibility!" She rejects with urgency.

"No it's not. You're like a mother to him these past few days in the first place, you'll do fine." Kankuro reassures.

Temari settles Gaara down to his trolley and starts making bubbles, blowing them to his face. He looks at the multi-colored clear spheres with interest, watching as they float about.

"B-but how can we explain this when he gets older?" The pink haired kunoichi tries to reason out. "It's simple really, makes things that needs explaining easier in fact." Kankuro happily projects.

"No, it does not!" Sakura retorts. "It does too!" The general says with the same tone that she used to him, obviously making fun of this argument. "I am eighteen years old!" Haruno then points out.

"And? Teenagers have babies all the time! If you consider yourself still a teenager that is." Kankuro looks up and down at Sakura's body. Temari whacks him on the head.

"How can you explain to him if HE becomes a teenager? Or that you guys are almost the same age as he is when he gets any older, how do you explain that?" She asks, ignoring his perverted suggestion.

"We won't be his siblings in the mean time." The hooded guy answers. "Then what are you guys supposed to be?" The pink haired kunoichi asks. "We're gonna be auntie and uncle." Temari says with a grin before blowing even more bubbles for Gaara's entertainment. "Aunt and Uncle?" The pink haired kunoichi repeats, finding the idea to be absurd. "Yes, that's a reasonable approach right? We're your brother and sister." Kankuro said with glee, thinking it's a great idea.

"What about my 'Husband'. What about his father?" Sakura adds, trying to find a loophole from this responsibility. "We're gonna tell him that his father died." Temari simply answers. "I don't know… wouldn't it be good if he had a father figure?" The konoha medic is finally starting to cave in, but tries again for the last time.

"That's true, but I think Gaara is done with fathers. Our father isn't really the best memory that we had." Kankuro explains. Sakura understands what he meant, their father is one the reasons why he ended up the way he was in the first place. "Besides, if he does need a father figure, He has me." The big brother said, pointing at himself.

"I guess…" Sakura answers, still uncertain about the idea. "Unless… you want me to be your husband?" Kankuro said with a cheeky grin. Sakura gives a disgusted look.

"In your dreams, even I wouldn't let you be Sakura's husband." Temari says, punching him playfully, and then blowing more bubbles.

"Anyway, that's the idea. And we are gon'na stick to it. Agreed?" Kankuro says, waiting for her approval. "Agreed." The girls say, now focusing their attention to Gaara.

The bubbles float and wander around them before they float up to the sky and eventually pop. Gaara looks disappointed at every pop and hoping that at least one would reach the endless sky. One of the bubbles reflects the image of the three smiling and laughing in their conversation. He tries to reach for it but it was too far away and right before his very eyes, the bubble that had their faces burst and disappeared. He snivels, looking at the open air, now filled with nothing. "What's wrong with Panda-chan?"

They look as Gaara wipes his own tears with his tiny fists. "It looks like he dislikes that the bubbles are popping away." Sakura observes.

"Aww…" Temari searches for something that would make him feel better. She sees a man with a bunch of balloons and goes to his direction. "Here you go." She gives the floating ball and string to Gaara, making sure he had a grip on it. Gaara looks up to the floating shiny red balloon and smiles.

"That's right little guy, just smile it away." Kankuro gives his red hair a rub, making him struggle on his scruff hold happily. Gaara looks at the shiny red reflection of the ones he cared for, the reflection looked small and looked like it was ready to float away. This time he reaches for it without thinking that he lets go of the string. The kazekage wails as the reflection floats away. "Oh no!" The blue-eyed reacts as the red balloon is leaving fast, floating away in seconds.

"Kankuro, catch it!" Temari pushes him to get it, too hastily in fact. Thus, making him trip and fall face first on the ground before even trying to reach for it. Temari rolls her eyes. "Weakling."

Her brother could taste dirt with his tongue. "Ouch." The general reacts in pain.

As Kankuro struggles to get his face off the ground, Sakura starts to run. "I'll get it." The pink haired kunoichi offers, running to the direction of the red balloon.

Gaara watches as both Sakura and the balloon runs away from him. "M-hmm—mhu…" He says in a silent voice, his hand reaching out. "M-Mhu-Mhua… Mahh…" He sees Sakura jumps up, almost getting a hold of it. "Mahh... Maah... " Tears start to fall from his eyes, he tries to go to her but his seat belt is giving him a hard time. He closes his eyes momentarily and opens them again to rid his ears.

Kankuro wakes from his fall, rubbing his forehead and getting on his knees. He hears mumbling, he looks at Temari who is too distracted at Sakura's attempt to get the balloon, her mouth closed. He looks at Gaara and his eyes widened, staring as the boy fumbles and moves his lips, trying to say what he wanted. "T-Temari…"

"What?" His sister looks at Kankuro and then to where he is pointing at. Gaara's brows furrow, his eyes watery, and his mouth opening to form a word.

'_**Is he trying to do what I think he is trying to do?..'**_ Kankuro could not believe his eyes and ears. Both the siblings stay quiet, waiting in anticipation. The whole place seems to have quieted down as well, as he attempts to say his first word.

"Mohm…" The boy sees Sakura helplessly, as she catches the balloon and her feet stomp on the grass floor. She turns and her grin disappears from her face, wondering what those two were looking at.

"Meih… Meehh… Mey…" The red head mumbles. "What is he trying to say?" Kankuro asks. "I don't know…" Temari bends closer to him, listening intently. Sakura starts to walk to their direction, their huddled bodies stops her from looking at what they are looking at. "Mhahh… mheihhy…" Gaara continues, still reaching for her as his head forms the image of the red balloon drifting away. "Mhauhmiyy…" He says with a squeaky voice. "What did he say?" Temari asks his brother. "I think he said money." Kankuro replies.

"What are you guys staring at?" Sakura asks them. The two look at the person behind them, and then they gaze at her with realization. "See for yourself.." Kankuro grins. Both of them immediately stop blocking her view, walking beside her and watching with anticipation. At first what he saw of her was far away, but now she was close up. She is so tall for him to reach and hold onto, the boy thought of bubbles floating and disappearing and her face is surrounded with the endless sky. "Hmmu… Mhuuu… Mhauhmy." Gaara calls out to her.

Sakura's eyes widen. He bites his lip and, with a great voice, he says the word right: "Mommy…" The child finally says clearly. Hearing this, their jaws drop.

Haruno comes closer to him, "What did you say, Gaara?" She asks, in disbelief of what she just heard. "Mommy…" He repeats as he sobs. "What?" She requests, kneeling down to hear him better. "Mommy...Mommy… Mommy!" Gaara leaps from his undone trolley, giving her a tight hug. Sakura takes him and brings him to her secure hold; she turns to the Kankuro and Temari with large surprised eyes. They are so ecstatic, that as much as they try to say what they want to say, it seems Gaara has taken their own words in that one single attempt.

"Mommy… He said mommy…" She says numbly. Sakura, with her hand, pats him robotically, still absorbing the fact that he has said his first word.. That is her name...'Mommy'.

"It looks like we're not the only ones who like the idea." Kankuro says. Sakura, out of her shock, loosens her hold of the red balloon. The balloon leaves them, floating out of range. But she stays.

They all have.

"It's okay, Gaara, no one's leaving." Temari says. Gaara keeps on crying. They all give worried but overjoyed faces.

"I got this." Kankuro levels himself to look at Gaara face to face and then puts both his palms on his face. "Where's Kanky?" He asks the boy who sniffs and stops tearing up, looking around as if really searching for him. Gaara then brings his small hands to those of Kankuro's that blocks his own face.

"Boo!" He says while uncovering his purple inked face, looking scary and funny at the same time. Gaara gets startled and stops crying instantly.

"Here he is!" He grins in a wacky manner, even crossing his eyes. Gaara blinks, and then smiles. Kankuro does it again; the boy still falls for it, looking surprised but amused. Gaara's smile widens. And then he laughs. Kankuro laughs as well, when he realized.. "I just made him laugh."

"Yeah, you did." Temari says, telling him she heard it too. The red head keeps laughing like the innocent child that he is. His laughter light and lively. They all watch him and listen, fascinated by the lovely child's chuckle. When he realizes he is the only one laughing, he stops to stare at the three who seemed to have lost their sense of humor.

"I made Gaara laugh." Kankuro repeats himself, still trying to let it sink in.

"We know.." The girls look at him with a 'That was stupid but good call, we're proud of you' look.

The four of them hold on to each other for a while before ending up in a fit of laughter and sheer amusement at themselves and the occasion. Kankuro looks at the pink kunoichi with a face that spells gratitude and respect. "Sakura." Seeing that he is addressing her formally, she tries to control her laughter to listen to what he is about to say. "I know that our decision isn't really the brightest thing to do… but…" They look at the blonde and the red head; Temari who is raising Gaara high up in the air, making the boy laugh.

"If Gaara can be happy for once in his life… I'd rather risk his life than to let him die without feeling any happiness…He'd probably have done the same thing…" He says hesitantly, unsure whether his brother really would. The pink haired girl lowers her head momentarily in agreement. "Of course he would." Temari say, as she gives him an encouraging pat. "You're a good brother, Kankuro." Sakura tells him. "Thank you." He shyly accepts the compliment, scrathing his head meekly. "Apart from that, you have a funny pug of a face to go with it." Temari adds.

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" He questions his sister who doesn't bother to reply, already distracted by their little brother.

_**Hopefully, you will be able to thank her on your own soon..Gaara.'**_ Kankuro thought, looking at his brother's vibrant green eyes, full of hope and anticipation.

The red sphere drifts away, with the reflection of the four of them together. The red orange sky tainted with its red color, floating as the sun sets. The sun sinking down, ending as it has begun.

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**Gaara's Age:** **A year and a half**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **Two weeks and Two days**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	5. His first Dream

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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** "His First Dream"**

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**Gaara's Age:** **2 years old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **3 Weeks and 3 days**

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**A Dream...**

_Go to sleep my love, go to sleep_

_Go to sleep and dream a dream of mine_

_Of you and me_

_Underneath the cherry blossom tree_

_Go to sleep my love, go to sleep…_

_Her eyes reluctantly open, unsure at what state she is in. She doesn't remember where she was or how she got there. She doesn't know how long she was out cold. She doesn't even know where she is now. She looks around to find herself in an open field more of an empty like lifeless lot. There is no grass, no living thing; all she sees is the blackened earth and shadows of dead motionless trees. Everything looks gray and unmoving… even the clouds, which are just as bland, does not waver as they should be._

_"Where am I?" She asks herself, wondering perhaps someone will answer her own question. Someone. Anyone around. She walks, and walks. Step by step. Inch by inch. Wandering at such foggy surroundings. But she doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. Her feet starts hurting, she feels like she has been walking for hours. She rests her torso by putting her hand on the stiff trunk of a tree. _

_"I'm lost." Out of breath, she contorts herself to stand and rest at the same time, looking for signs of anything that is in any way different from this indifferent sorrowful place. __**'I'm lost.'**__ She closes her eyes and opens them, hoping anything might come by if she stalls for it. And then right before her very eyes, the foggy greyness disperses and reveals a rather large ash covered like structure._

_A dead tree. A great large dominant being of a tree that is larger than anything that surrounds it. Its branches spreading and winding into spiral arms and claw embedded like hands that appear to call out to her. __**'What..What is that?..'**__ She goes towards it, taking a step to the shadows of the clouds hiding behind the mass of depression. She feels dazed and yet curious at what will make this thing so utterly dense enough for her to notice._

_She steps on its long ancient clinging roots and reaches for its rough foretelling bark of skin. Her hands feel through it like she is looking for a page or symbol of some sort, searching for an answer or a story. But it is rough and callous, undemanding to be heard. Like it is prominent but it didn't want to be._

_She drags her hand to its edges and walks around it, careful not to trip as she does. The mass is so large that she can't take steps but strides as she circles around the trunk. Before she can even finish her circling around, she finds someone sitting by the edge of where she has started her meaningless curiosity. Enthusiastic that someone is actually in this dormant world with her, she was about to call on him. But. Why would a person choose to be in this horrible place? She cautiously confronts the person, her anticipation of hope and possible danger building up. "Um…"_

_The stranger doesn't flinch from where he sits. __**'He looks familiar…'**__ She gazes on this unmoving form with suspicion. His physique and his red tainted hair… all so familiar… _

_"Excuse me for interrupting..but I don't know where I am.." She comes closer, enough to notice such an extraordinary resemblance to a boy she knows well. "Gaara?" That name comes out of her lips in an uncomfortable manner. It has been a while, since she spoke such a name. She doesn't even recall ever mentioning his name enough to be at ease in saying it. He looks bigger than she remembers him to be, his adamant features recognizable and now leaner. "G-gaara, you're back to normal!" At first she feels surprisingly enthusiastic, but the man doesn't look back at whoever called him by that name. _

_"Gaara?" She repeats. And yet. No answer. How can she tell by looking at whoever it really is just from behind? Recalling names when she doesn't even know where she is in the first place? Still the man who does not stir looks real as she is trapped in this deathly ominous world. She has to know. "Gaara… It's me, Sakura…" She is in front of him now, but still no response. She rests her hand to his shoulder, and shakes him a bit. She feels like she is touching something empty, something hollow inside._

_"Y-you're not Gaara… are you?" She sighs, his head is limp down so she kneels down to see his face clearly as it is hidden by his tuft of hair. "Are you?" She touches his arm momentarily; his arm is so cold and numb. "Hey… are you okay?" With trembling hands, she holds unto his face to make him confront her. He is pale as if his blood is drained out of him, she can see his veins right through his skin. His dark rimmed eyes that does not blink or move stares straight at her as if he is looking at no one. Eyes that shimmers nothing, blank and empty. "No…No!" _

_He is the man that she once knew who is just as lifeless and without a soul as the place she is in now. _

_She screams silently. Mourning over the body, she clutches him possessively as she cries and calls out, to the freezing air. _

_**Gaara is Dead.**_

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**SUNA: Nearby Suna Headquarters/Sabaku No Residence/Gaara's Room/Thursday**/**6:00 AM**/

"Gaara!" Sakura wakes up in a cold sweat, out of breath and her eyes bloodshot. She immediately stirs from her lying form and let the desperate cries of a child ringing her ears.

She bends and rests her elbows on her knees, combing through her hair and breathing slow deep breaths. "It is just a dream…" She tells herself, holding onto her heaving chest, pressing enough to drown the thudding noise of her heart. She brings her feet down to the floor, and goes for the crib that keeps the voice shattering her from her trance. "Hey Gaara-bear, what's wrong?" Of course, the baby cannot answer. But she is relieved that he can at least make a sound. "Mu… Mu…" He says with his eyes red and puffy, his mouth pouts at her as if she knows why.

"Aww, little bear is hungry…" She takes him out of his lofty cage and sways him out of the room and into the kitchen. "Mu…" He asks, reaching for a bottle of milk when Sakura opens the refrigerator.

"There you go…" She holds the bottle for him, swaying him again back and forth as they go back to the room. They decided to keep Gaara in his own room and not in Sakura's since she has been sleeping more often there than she did on her own. They also agreed that they should take turns in waking up to care for Gaara every time he wakes at night. It was supposed to be Temari's turn, but she had to spend an all nighter working on files. So Sakura has to take the blonde sister's shift, while researching ways to keep Gaara in a stable growing state.

She lies with her back resting on the head of the bed, Gaara on her arms, her hand still on the bottle. As he drinks his milk, he clings to her shirt thinking she might let him go back to the crib. She just keeps staring at him, looking at his warm eyes looking back at her. She shakes her head when she recalls the image of Gaara's face which is lost in that world she has seen and not like the one that is before her. Gaara burps and blinks at her innocently, finished with his bottle. Sakura smiles at him with a knowing grin.

"You're going to go back in there sometime." She says gesturing on the crib and letting him resist on her hold. "No! Mhummy!" He hollers. She tries to let him down, but he doesn't let go. "No worries, mommy will still be here." She reassures. He looks at her questionably but hesitantly softens his grip and gradually gets lowered to his crib. He looks concerned as she tucks him back in, rebelliously he take his hand out of her neatly folded tuck. Instead of telling him not to do so, she answers by giving a reassuring smile.

"Mommy…" He raises his hand to her. Sakura extends her small finger for him to hold. Gently, she sways the baby diorama above him, decorated with fluffy sheep that jump up and down gently and making little circles when moving. She starts to hum the lullaby, to stop him from crying. Gaara calms down, and let her snug him up properly. Eventually, he lets go of her finger and falls asleep. Sakura kisses him on the cheek and let the bouncing sheep prance until they come to a halt before she gets back to bed. She got used to Gaara's bed, even comforted with the starchy barely used sheets.

But lately, she doesn't get much sleep; because for some reason, that is yet unknown to her, she has been dreaming that same dream over and over for nights. She sighs, averting her gaze on the blank ceiling and instead look over to Gaara, who is now sound asleep. _**'Mommy… He says.'**_That word still feels unfamiliar, just as Gaara's name was back that she thinks about it, they were never this close when he was course it could have been nice if they were close like how friends would be to each they weren't. They were just acquaintances.

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SUNA: Nearby Suna Headquarters/**Sabaku No Residence/Kitchen Area/Thursday**/**6:00 AM**/**Friday**/**7:00 AM**

His second word is "Mumu" for milk. His third word is "Mawy" for Temari. His next word is "Kaka" or "Hanky" for Kankuro. Kankuro himself however, isn't fond of these names.

"Well, what do you expect?" Temari asks Kankuro who has his arms crossed and his face in irritated mood.

"Oh I dunno… Anky-chan or Kuro-san would be just fine, but Kaka? Hanky?" He glares at Gaara who is playing with his food. "Now that's just doing it on purpose!" Kankuro exclaims.

"Oh come on, why would Gaara do that? He wouldn't even know what those words mean in the first place!" Temari hands the butter to Sakura.

"At the back of his mind he does! Trapped like sort of a back up so he could just make fun of me for it! That's just absurd. Right Sakura?" Kankura asks the pink haired girl.

"Uh..mhmn." Sakura answers passively.

"Hanky..." Gaara reaches for Kankuro. The general grins, but he could not hide his scowl.

"Kaka!" Gaara shouts at the top of his voice.

"Grrraaaahhhh!" Kankuro shouts in annoyance. "It's like he wants me to beat him up like crazy! But I can't, because he's a kid!" He grinds his teeth together, chomping of some bacon as he does.

"Have you ever notice that Gaara says Hanky every time you look normal and Kaka when you get loud and aggravating?" His blonde sister suggests.

Kankuro didn't bother dwindling on the subject and continues eating.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Temari then asks, noticing the fact that Sakura just keeps playing with her food and never takes a bite.

"Not really…" The pink haired kunoichi finally replied, tired of pretending that she is alright.

"What's wrong?" The blonde says in a concerned tone.

"I didn't sleep well last night." The konoha medic answers.

"You didn't sleep well the other night either, is taking care of Gaara…" The prime minister then points at Kankuro stuffing food on his face. "and that idiot brother of mine, stressing you out?" She asks.

"No, of course not.." Sakura answers while weakly shaking her head. "Sakura, it's okay if they do. You're only human." Temari tells her with a pat in the back.

"It's not that… It's other things…" The pink haired kunoichi explains in an insecure manner. "I had the dream again…last night." She continues. Kankuro briefly interrupts the conversation when he chokes on a mouthful of nonstop gob, but shortly he coughs it out. Sakura pats the guy on the back, helping him to cough what is left of the pre-chewed food stuck on his throat.

"The dream again? Don't worry Sakura, it's just a dream." Temari consoles, after hitting her brother on the back to help him from his inappropriate gagging, and then feeds Gaara with a spoon full of apple sauce.

"I know, but it seems so real." Sakura adds, anxious at such a disturbing vision.

"Sakura, don't think of it so much because that's not going to happen to him." The blonde let Gaara take his time sipping the sauce out of the little spoon. "We are doing a great job after all; so that means that nothing is going to happen to him."

"I guess." She looks at Gaara with worry. The boy is busy playing with Kankuro's detachable hoodie to notice the concerned look on her face.

"Gaara hasn't grown much lately it's been three weeks and he's only 2 years old." The General mentions.

"2 and a half." Temari corrects Kankuro.

"Either way it's really slow." He continues. "He doesn't even talk much." The young man with purple ink design on his face looks at his brother, who uses his 'uncle's' hoodie with a smile and a laugh, without a word to express his fun.

The two look at Sakura who is now looking even more worried. Realizing that that they have made her even more stressed out they attempt to reduce her fears in a different note: "This is probably a slow stage…It'll be over soon enough…" Temari encourages.

"He'll be fine, Sakura." Kankuro says, making faces to see if what Temari has said is real. "Remember, it's just a dream. It'll pass." He adds.

'_**Only it's not a dream, it's a nightmare.'**_ Sakura merely nods, not wanting them to worry any further.

"You have been spending a lot of time in the hospital lately, that's probably why you're too stressed out apart from taking care of Gaara. It's a good thing it is the end of this insane week. Let's use this time to unwind a little." The General advises. The pink haired kunoichi agrees and goes on with her food picking.

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SUNA: **Nearby Suna Capital/Sabaku no hana chiku/Suna Public Park/5:00 PM**

The park isn't filled with a lot of people today. In fact, they are the only ones there. The place is an open field. A quiet afternoon.

"A sandstorm will come by in a few hours; I guess that's why there are not a lot of people around." Kankuro looks at the dim sky, dragging Gaara on a trolley with him.

"Rather gray for a morning, don't you think?" Temari says looking at the sky as well.

"Yeah." Sakura feels a shiver when she has said that.

"The good thing about today is that it's really windy, great for flying kites." Kankuro let out a beautiful kite and starts unraveling the string. "Whoops." He let go of the kite, it follows and moves with the strong current of wind, reaching the sky. The general then continues to play with the kite, while the girls find a bench to seat in, leaving Gaara with his brother.

"The wind is nice." Temari breathes in and out, the strong breeze. The wind feels rather cold and pricks Sakura's skin.

"Kinda… chilly too." Haruno adds, giving herself a hug.

"This shirt that we got really goes with his eyes and this bonnet is just precious!" Temari says, waving a white shirt with a panda on it and a green bonnet. As she goes on and on of how cute the clothes are, Sakura is deep in thought. "I'm going to let Gaara use this bonnet, being cold and all. I'll be right back." The blonde leaves the Konoha Mednin and goes to the two who are entertaining themselves with the kite. The pink haired kunoichi watches as Temari fits the bonnet on Gaara, the three now watching together.

Kankuro unfortunately has no kiting skills whatsoever, so the kite goes all over the place and ending on a nearby tree. Temari laughs and teases Kankuro who in turn laughs at how clumsily foolish he is. Sakura grins at the image, liking how the picture of the three of them fit together. _**'What am I doing?'**_She realizes that getting depressed over trivial things might ruin their time. Gaara looks back at her, giving her a priceless smile. He then claps at Kankuro who is forced to retrieve the kite, again irritated but not really as Gaara chants his silly names. He looks so alive that way.

'_**Maybe I'm just being paranoid.'**_She watches as Kankuro reaches for the kite from the tree and since the tree is one of the largest ones in the park, it'll take him a Kankuro struggles to get a hold on one of its branches, Sakura traces the tree's shadow that stretch high and low on the grassy field. Gaara and Temari are on the farthest end of the dark form, the branches as if trying to take them away.

"Sakura!" Temari shouts, but she doesn't answer.

"Gaara, wait here for Kankuro okay?" Sakura tells the boy, thinking that there is something wrong, she leaves Gaara knowing that Kankuro will come by soon.

"Sakura…" The blue-eyed woman calls out, as she us reaching up to her.

"Hm?" Sakura answers now alert, free from her over thinking.

"Are you sure you are okay?" The blonde persists.

"I'm fine, really." Sakura tells her with a smile.

"Are you sure? Do you want to leave? We can if you-" The blonde is interrupted before she could continue.

"No, No… Really I'm fine…" Sakura insists, looking at Gaara all alone playing with the string left behind. "We should really get to where Gaara is…" She suggests, standing and then walking back to her son, while Temari follows.

"Almost there…" Kankuro eventually climbs the tree, his hands inches away from the kite. Then the wind gets stronger. "Dammit!" The kite flies away before he can even grab for it, now flying away.

Sakura stares as the kite rides the strong wind and rises higher and higher. The thought comes to her instantly. "Gaara…" The string snakes though the grass in incredible speed, leading to Gaara who is bunched up with it. "Gaara!" She starts to run.

"Sakura, what is it?" Temari asks, running after her.

"It's the string! Gaara is tied up in it!" The pink haired kunoichi says as she runs.

"What are you talking about? He's fine!" The blonde insists, slowing down.

"No, he's not!" Haruno points at the kazekage's direction. With that, Temari look her brother's location. And sure enough, there he is. The blonde sees Gaara, who is rolling himself on the yarn-like trap, the kite getting higher and higher.

"The kite is big enough Temari! It can take him away!" Sakura reasons, sure of her theory.

"Oh God." Temari picks up the pace, shouting at Kankuro who is wondering how he can get that kite now.

"Kankuro!" She shouts at her hooded sibling who is still distracted with the kite.

"What?" Kankuro looks at the girls running to his direction. He smells smoke… he hears the thin rope winding loudly over a branch.

"Cut the string!" His sister shouts.

"Why should I!?" The general questions, not wanting to destroy his toy for reasons he does not understand.

"Just do it!" The blue-eyed blonde orders, pointing at the child in a reckless way to prove her point.

Kankuro glances at where Gaara is, knowing that the only one that will get them this riled up is him. Gaara is holding unto the string. Now he understands. He takes out a kunai from his pocket and proceeds to cut the string. But just as he is going to put the blade on it the branch breaks, now making it far away from him and even more reckless. "Shit!" Kankuro falls from where he is, he lies on the ground a bit shaken up but tries to regain composure, looking for the string. But before he can get a hold of it again, it has been too late.

They watch in despair as Gaara gets dragged, floating away and off of the ground. "Weeeee!" The kazekage says with enthusiasm, treating his predicament like a game.

"It's okay, he's still pretty low, we can still catch him." Kankuro tells the girls who just have reached to where he is.

"Kankuro." One of the women warns, full of fear. He looks at their frightened shocked faces and to where Gaara is headed. The kite is pulling him towards a cliff.

"Dammit!" He curses as he attempts to catch up to the boy. The three attempt to run for it in desperation, trying to catch to the incredible speed that the wind is making.

"Gaara!" Temari shouts, Gaara looks down to where they are. "Gaara, come down!" She tells her little brother.

The red head, seeing them getting smaller and farther and the ground too far to reach, he clings to the string, afraid of the height that he can fall from.

"Gaara no! Come down, we'll catch you!" Kankuro says, trying to shoot the kite down but fails to do so.

"Can you do it?" Sakura asks Kankuro. The man with purple design on his face tries to aim a kunai at the target yet again, but could not focus as well as the first point that he initiated.

"No, it's too dangerous now. I could hit him!" He tells her in despair.

"Gaara, please come down!" His mother shouts. The boy doesn't listen, now closing his eyes. The cliff is right below him now. Temari draws out her large fan, pulling Sakura with her. "Gaara!"

The Kazekage opens his eyes to find Sakura below him with her arms held up high.

Finally, he does as he is told, letting go of the rope. Their desperation turns to anticipation… Gaara is going to land right where Sakura is. But the unexpected happens. Another much stronger gush of wind blows and just as Sakura is about to take him in mid air. The gust of wind pushes the fan with great force, making Sakura move away from the right spot to catch the child. Still she persists in reaching out to him, stretching her hand to grab even Gaara's shirt. But to no avail. He falls. "Gaara!" He is falling so fast, the fan can't get to him this time.

Kankuro who is now at the edge of the cliff is their only chance; he unwinds his puppets, ready to catch him in any direction. "Please… Please… Please…" They can only watch as Gaara plummets down head on. K ankuro flings his puppet, the wooden mannequin going to where Gaara is. He is so far off however; his brother has to stretch it out to the maximum level. The wooden hands expanded and whirled but finally get a hold of him. They let out a sigh. Gaara looks startled, but he isn't in tears. He's okay.

Unnerving silence set upon them as Kankuro tries pulled him back; they can hear the loud cracking sound of wood giving in. The arms of the puppet break apart. "Gaara!"

The child plunges down, down to the abyss. The last thing they have seen of him is his innocent face, trying reaching up to them. Sakura's eyes are full of disbelief as she hovers, Kankuro on his knees and hit his fist on the earth. They both are numb that they can't hear anything, except for Temari's screaming voice. They close their eyes and look away. But just as they do, they feel something drifting behind them. And then, the quiet but sure sound of sand sifting and moving around. Slowly they look back, to prove what they have thought they have seen out of the corner of their eye.

It is Gaara, floating just across from where they are. His laugh, his smile, and his face they are unbearably real. They stare on in both amazement..And fear.

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SUNA: Nearby Suna Capital/Sabaku no hana chiku/**Suna Public Park/Bench Area/****7:00 PM**

When they got him down and they are all now safe amidst ground, they gather on a nearby bench just to sit there for a while. Gaara now secure in his trolley, fast asleep in front of them. They stare at the boy as he sleeps, looking rather dazed and unbelieving. A solemn kind of watching after a child. "His sand... It's back." Kankuro says, finally breaking the silence.

"Yes… yes it is…" Temari massages her trembling hands.

"B-but how?" Haruno asks with a trembling tone. The two sand siblings look at Sakura who is melting out of shock and now sinking to reality. "He wasn't showing any signs… He did went through some danger moments, at least a couple of times…But still.." She brings her hands to rest on the sides of her head, trying to calm the noise of her thoughts.

"Sakura…" Kankuro tries to get her attention, but to no avail. She continues to feed her insecurity, increasing anxiety.

"We kept him happy…We kept him safe…" Sakura's eyes are moving in directions, trying to find an answer. "Why... Why did it come back?"

"Sakura… it was going happen sometime.." The blonde sand nin tries to explain. The pink kunoichi looks at Temari, confused at what she has said. "Gaara was born with this… We can't erase it."

"No… No, we could do something about it… There has got to be some way…" The pink haired kunoichi denies, not wanting to accept reality.

"The beast is enclosed before he was even born, bounded to his bones just as soon as our mother died." The General tells her.

Sakura doesn't know what to say, overwhelmed with Gaara's near death experience and the new obstacle upon them. "When your mother died… what happened?" She asks.

Kankuro looks at Gaara with sympathy and then at Sakura. "Nothing was the same."

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SUNA: **Nearby Suna Headquarters/Sabaku No Residence/8:00 PM**

She flips through pages and pages of memories, a lot of the faces were unfamiliar to her of course. But the faces of Kankuro and Temari are almost on every page, their faces smiling at the faces look more vibrant and free just as innocent children should be. Their eyes filled with hope, adventure and trust. She starts skipping some pages, her own smile now disappearing as she noticed the pictures changing. Now Kankuro and Temari looked vulnerable and scared, clinging to a woman she knows not of. Their mother. "She looks… so beautiful…"

The woman had gorgeous dark green eyes and a soft gentle face. Her skin a bit tanned and healthy, her frame looked frail but lithe. She wasn't like the confident woman she has seen in the past pages, looking so free in her colorful summer dresses. This time she looked self-conscious and like her two children she looked scared. "What happened to her?" Sakura asks.

"Mom was the Kazekage's third wife, it was an arranged marriage but she tried to make the most of it. It didn't work out. In the end, father treated her only as a pawn." Temari hands her a cup of tea and sits beside her together with Kankuro. Gaara right in front of them toddles with his walker, loving how he can walk around.

"That son of a bitch wasn't as great as a parent as our mother was." Kankuro says without flinching, a hint of hate on the way he mutters. Sakura brushes her hand on one picture with the four of them now. The woman now giving a small smile, holding unto her swelled stomach, Temari and Kankuro still close by her.

"She loves us so much, all of us." Temari fiddles on her tea. "That is her last picture… before she died."

Sakura turns the page to find no pictures child birth, no picture of a new mother with her son, not even one of baby Gaara. "Did you… did you ever thought that it was his fault?" She asks cautiously. The two siblings look at her with guilt, they don't hide it.

"At first… Yes." Temari drinks her tea… the warm liquid gets painful as she gulps. "And then it turned to fear… anger… and something else."

The siblings look at each other in acceptance. "In the end, we love him."

In the picture, the three now stood together. They look vulnerable and irritant, their eyes filled with emptiness. Gaara looks like the weakest and the one with smallest desperation of hope. They are all hunched up together with someone that has the same features as their mother did. "He didn't help, he just made things worse." Kankuro brings up bitterly.

Sakura stares at the next picture, now only three of them. They weren't even looking at each other, their eyes filled with torment and hate. "We fixed our issues, one way or another. Gaara with all that he has been through still turned out fine." The General concludes half-heartedly. She closes the album, and still looks unconvinced.

"Sakura… what exactly are you looking for?" Temari asks, knowing something is troubling her.

"Yeah, you've been asking a lot of questions and looking over our pictures since we got back. Is something troubling you?" Kankuro says, eating a bunch of tea biscuits.

"I'm looking for a sign…"

"A sign? A sign for what?"

"A sign… something… anything to keep me going!" She keeps her furious gaze on the liquid on her cup.

"Sakura… you're doing fine…"

"No! No, I'm not doing fine! I almost killed him!"

"It's not your fault, Sakura! None of us is at fault here! What happened was an accident—"

"I should have been looking out for him! I should have prevented it all before it happened! I… I…" She sighs, flustered and frustrated at what she is about to say. "I'm not fit to be his mother…" She hides her face with her palms, finally recognizing her own denial. She shakes her head heavily and keeps her eyes forward. "I don't know if I can do this anymore…" She confides. After a while of uncomfortable quietness and tension, her blurred vision starts to clear out. To find a scared and upset Gaara right in front of her.

"Mommy…" The unbearably cute redhead says with a tremble, ready to cry. "Oh…" She emotes. They haven't even thought that Gaara is there the whole time. "It's okay… don't cry…" She tries to reassure him. He waddles to her, his hands reaching out. Sakura just stares, not knowing what to do. But Gaara goes to her himself, and embraces her desperately.

"Sakura… he needs you… we need you…" Temari says, curling the boy's hair.

Haruno let him give her a hug, holding him tight. "Don't cry… Mommy was just thinking out loud." She rests her head on the boy's trembling one. "Mom's just fine… I won't be going anywhere…"

"Mh… m… mommy…" Gaara says in between sniffles. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean it…I'm sorry..." She pats his back gently.

"Do you know the difference between you and my mother?" The hooded guy intrudes. Sakura looks at Kankuro with scared helpless eyes. "She wasn't there for him, like you are now." The young man tells her, smiling at the face of a bewildered but caring mother. Temari wipes a tear from Gaara's face.

"He needs you, Sakura."

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SUNA: Nearby Suna Headquarters/Sabaku No Residence/**Gaara's Bedroom/12:00 AM**

She can't sleep. For some reason, Gaara's bed isn't as comfy as it is at it usually was. She has been tossing and turning for hours already and she doesn't even bother to pull the sheets. "Now I know what you feel." She sighs. **'**_**I told him, that everything is going to be alright..'**_ She knows that what she said to him was not sure enough… but she just didn't know what do in that kind of situation.

"I even lied to him face to face." It was a heavy lie, if it really was one. "Me… a mother…" She can't even console herself, how can she console Gaara properly? She rolls to her side for the uncountable time and hugs her legs. "Am I really… good enough?" She closes her eyes. Only to be opened by the sound of Gaara crying. In a sluggish manner, she steps out of bed and takes the boy in her arms, instinctively rocking him. But he doesn't stop.

She tried everything, she has given him his milk, she changed his diaper, putting him back to his small bed and moved his little diorama sheep and has sung his lullaby repeatedly but nothing has worked. And yet he still cries to no avail. She walked everywhere, to her room so she could entertain him with the stars on the night sky, to the bathroom where she has put her feet on the hot water of the onsen and splashed to drown his voice and made him listen, to the kitchen so she could point out the all sorts of the colours of food from the fridge to stop his concentration of distinct irritant wailing.

But he just keeps on screaming and streaming down tears. He won't stop, he can't stop. And she had enough. **Gaara..** Sakura goes to the lounge room and puts him down at the sofa where she has put pillows on each side so he could sit properly than falling on either side. **Gaara..** "Tell me Gaara… tell me what's wrong…" She requests, but he just keeps on wailing, ignoring her plea. "I can't tell what you want just by crying… Gaara you can talk… please tell me what you want." She continues. And yet, he ignores her, this time hitting the pillows in protest.

"Gaara stop… Please stop…" She drops to her knees, out of frustration and exhaustion. **Please tell me..** She looks at him in his red watery bothered eyes and makes him look at her. "I don't know what to do… I did everything I could." She says in a trembling voice. "Please tell me what I should do Gaara… please tell me…" She sobs.

In an instant the child stops, his mouth closed and his eyes now dry. He reaches out to her, touching her face. **Please tell me..** Gaara brings his hand to her cheek, wiping her tears gently as if to comfort her. And then he shows her his finger that has one drop of tear glinting a bit from light nearby. She looks at it and then at him, and knows what he is trying to do, what he is trying to say. She starts to smile and laugh uncontrollably, he also smiles and laughs. **Am I..**

She wipes her tears and his tears, wiping his face with some tissue and letting him blow on some more with his little nose. She gives him a hug and weeps silently. They stayed that way for a while, until Gaara nods off to sleep. Sakura carries him back to their room but doesn't put him back to his own bed this time. She lets him sleep beside her, content on watching him sleep peacefully. They sleep in a cuddle and enjoy the silence, the darkness and the gentle sigh of wind. **Am I a good mother to you?**

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**A Dream...**

_She wanders the unusual pathway, everything seems vaguely familiar and yet nothing that she can recall of. "What is this place?" She whispers, amazed at the landscape. She watched as butterflies fluttered pass her, a gentle push of air and she looks up to find birds flying free. Everything looks so warm and inviting, everything moves. The grass, the flowers, the trees, and even the clouds that stretch the sky feel alive. "So beautiful…" The trees seem to point at something with its leaves, the petals floating and twirling around her before going on their own to somewhere she doesn't notice at a glance. _

_She follows them and sees a great tree. Its branches stretching everywhere, so many and frail like a web. The pink blossoms shifts constantly, so translucent and bright that stirs like rippling water. She walks towards it in awe, feeling the roots with her bare feet and touching the ancient skin with her hand. She brings her forehead on the wood, as if she is trying to talk to it. And it answers. "It's so peaceful…" He says. She opens her eyes out of her calm deep serene thoughts to find out where that voice has come from. "For something so alive…" He continues, with a voice as gentle as the breeze._

_She follows the rustic sound that is from the other side of the large ancient being. A symbol of time._

_She reaches the other side, and she can't believe what she sees. But he is right there, existing like she is in this intriguing nostalgic world. He looks so different from the last time she has seen him. He sits down at the base of the tree, relaxed in his carefree position. His one knee bent, and his one arm resting on it. His crimson red hair moves like gentle waves as it reacts to the soft constant breeze. His eyes are closed momentarily then he opens them to reveal eyes that are so brilliant like the life that breathes."But I like it that way…" Those eyes gaze at the view in content, a smile playing on his face. _

_He's back. And he's more than she has imagined him to be."Gaara…" She calls out to him in return, with a relieved tone. He then turns to the direction of her overwhelmed voice.. Tears rolled out of her eyes without her even realizing. Indeed..He is so different. So utterly beautiful. He reaches out to her with his hand in a welcoming familiar gesture. _

_"Sakura.." He calls out to her with a nostalgic voice. Her heat melts. She quietly takes his hand. He pulls her gently to sit beside him. She rests her head on his shoulder. Both of them satisfied just staying there, and if possible…Stay that way forever._

_Go to sleep my love, go to sleep_

_Go to sleep and dream a dream of mine_

_Of you and me_

_Underneath the cherry blossom tree_

_Go to sleep my love, go to sleep…_

_Little Gaara smiles as he sleeps, like he is dreaming the same dream that Sakura has. Of the two of them together in a way that they will never dreamed of. A dream within a dream._

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**Gaara's Age:** **3 years old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **1 Month**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	6. His first hope

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His First Hope"**

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**Gaara's Age:** **3 years and 6 months old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **One month and Two weeks**

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**SUNA: Monday****/****Suna Public Park/Sōgen to mugen no sora District/7:00 PM**

They walk on the concrete path, taking their time unfazed as they are. The three go to the park almost every day, letting Gaara out of the house as much as they can. The weather is good and the place pristine, noisy living creatures buzz and hoot from the quiet serenity. The girls walk on the sidelines which edge on the platform, their attention on the most pestering adorable boy.

"Kaka…" The Kazekage calls his big brother.

"Hn?" Kankuro merely answers at the red head who sits on his shoulders, kicking his feet and pounding his head softly which makes him more irritated.

"Whad tha" Gaara asks, his green eyes turning to a teal colour as he points, staring at the moving winged creature.

"That is a bird." The general replies.

"Tha?" The red head points to the sky.

"That's a cloud." The young hooded man answers. The little boy that clings to Kankuro starts to smile then tries to reach for the white cottony loams in the sky, kicking more hysterically.

"Fuffy sheewp!" Gaara describes.

"Yes, it is like fluffy sheep. So stop kicking me!" The general orders his little brother.

"Kaka meanie." The kazekage pouts.

"I'm not mean, you're mean." Kankuro replies.

- Sniff sniff –

"Kankuro!" The blonde shouts at her sibling.

"Fine, Gaara is not mean. Happy now?" The young hooded man asks the boy. Gaara hugs Kankuro's head in response. At first the general lets the little guy squeeze his skull as much as he wants, but he soon started struggling to breathe.

"Gaara… I can't breathe!" Kankuro complains, he brings the boy up high in the air, still holding unto him and letting him feel branches of the trees above them.

"Tha?" Gaara reaches out and takes a twig, picking on a leaf. "That's a tree." The general describes. "Twee?" Gaara repeats.

"Yes, Tree." The general pronounces, encouraging the boy to say the word properly.

"Pweetty" The red head portrays the tree. Kankuro kicks the tree to let some leaves fall. Gaara waves his arms to the spiralling petals. They let him down to enjoy the grassy mat; he rolls on it then tugs on the leaves as he walks wobbling.

"Thi?" He takes the flower that Sakura has taken from the ground and sniffs it, letting out a sneeze. Tiny specs of white stuff get out of the flower and float gently down.

"A dandelion." Says Kankuro.

"It shmells fuwzzy.." The red head expresses, sniffing the dandelion eagerly.

"Yes, it's a funny fuzzy flower…" Sakura laughs.

"Muh?" He asks the girls, thinking that the plant is something to eat.

"Of course you can't eat it, it tastes horrible." Temari warns him, but she didn't take the weed out of his hand just in case.

"Mawy, me muh!" Gaara bites it anyway and just as soon as he nibbles, he spits it out.

"Ew." He reacts by putting his tongue out and picking on the tiny bits of the fuzzy stuff with his hand. They laugh, the awkward boy coughs and starts to laugh as well.

.

* * *

.

SUNA: **Tuesday**/** Sabaku Residence/Living Room Area/8:00 PM**

"I'm home! Tadaima!" Kankuro happily comes in, hiding something behind his back.

"Okaeri!" The girls reply automatically.

"Hey, Kanky." Temari bellows from the kitchen, licking some sauce out of her stirring spoon and smudging her apron.

"Hey Kankuro." Sakura hasn't bothered to look up since she's busy fixing Gaara's bib.

"Hanky!" The fussy toddler says with arms waving towards him.

"Hey there, little guy!" He messes the boy's red hair, making Gaara squint his little eyes. "Uncle Kankuro has a surprise for you!"

"Suwrpyse?" The Kazekage emotes while the girls look at Kankuro and at the boy dangling from his chair.

"Yup." He clamps Gaara's eyes so he couldn't see, then removes his hand when he is ready. The red head can hear some fluttering and chirps.

"Tadaa! See? A surprise!" He expresses. A tiny yellow bird flaps its wings, as if it was saying hello.

"Buwrd!" The boy says excitedly.

"Yes Gaara, it's a bird!" Says his big brother, bringing the cage low enough for the child to see in a closer proximity.

"A canary!" Sakura goes to the boy's side, ogling over the chippy thing.

"Canawry…" The kid let his little fingers through the wooden cage and let the bird stand on his hand. "Cooouuutttee…" He tries to describe.

"Yes Gaara, it is cute." His blonde sister tells the kazekage. As he continues to admire the bird, they look a little anxious at how Gaara is handling the small animal. The red head gently pats the birds tiny plumaged head, the bird blinks as if it does not sense any harm. They look at each other and feel relieved that nothing out of the ordinary has happened.

"Where did you find it?" Temari asks.

"An old man was selling a bunch of them on the street. I thought that he might like it." Kankuro explains.

"Well, that's nice." Sakura compliments.

"So, what's for dinner?" The general asks.

"Today is curry." The blonde goes back to her cooking.

"Hmmm... Curry." Kankuro follows, sniffing the food. Gaara watches as Sakura takes the caged bird and hangs it on the coat holder. She then goes with the others, keeping Kankuro away from the pot.

The boy brings back his attention to the yellow canary that hops on its cage, looking out at the nearby window and trying to stretch its wings at such a tight space.

"Kankuro don't you dare!" Temari raises her ladle as a warning.

"I had a long day at work and I'm hungry! I want to eat now!" Kankuro says, tugging on the bowl full of curry.

"It's not yet finished! Do you want to sleep by the toilet tonight?" Sakura pulls the other side of the bowl.

"I'm gonna be sittin' on tha thing in the morning anyway, why not?" The general explains. "When it's not finished, it ain't finished! So get over it!" The blonde insists.

"I have an iron stomach!" Her brother says, patting his stomach with his fist.

"Iron stomach, yeah right! More like blubbery mush of a stomach!" Temari says, poking him.

Then they hear a sudden noise as if something has fallen.

"Was that Gaara?" Kankuro asks.

They all look at where the boy is supposed to be and find that he isn't in his walker anymore and it is now tipped over. They walk away from their blocked view, and see the kid reaching out to the bird in a struggle. With his sand. The sand climbs the wooden pole and then reaches the handle, then the cage. The bird is not moving, stiff as the sand approaches it cautiously.

"Gaara, No!" Sakura immediately takes Gaara and Kankuro gets the canary away from the sand.

"It's okay.." The big brother assures. The bird chips happily, shifting its head. They sigh and look at Gaara who doesn't seem to understand what they are getting panicky for… Or why the room is feeling anxiously heavy with silence.. And their faces etched with worry and fear.

.

* * *

.

SUNA: **Wednesday****/****Suna Headquarters****/****Hallway Exit/4:00 PM**

"Prime minister!" One of Temari's assistants calls out to her, running as he did. The blonde then sighs and turns around to confront whatever would worsen her day. "Yes?" She says in a threatening voice. "You have another appointment." The anbu hands a message scroll to her, which she hastily takes. "The village hidden by Rocks, Iwagakure, will be having an international culture convention and would like you to attend." Her assistant informs her. "Can't we get our local exhibitors to go instead?" She asks, not in a mood to go to such an event.

"Most of the prime ministers are going. The Tsuchikage would not take it lightly if you were not to go." The masked man persists. "I have an assessment meeting at Konoha before that in 2 hours! Do you have any idea how far apart those places are?" The blonde scolds. "I understand, Sabaku No-sama." He unfortunately tells her. She shakes her head in return, in both annoyance and misery. "I am sorry Miss Temari. But ever since the predicament of the Kazekage, his appointments that are conducted out of Suna must be appointed to you."

"More like I've been appointed to this job because I have a huge fan to fly around with." She rudely concludes, upset that she has to go through this. "Er… that too." The Suna nin could only reply.

"Cancel it." The Prime minster then tells him and then walks away.

"Cancel it?...CANCEL IT?" The Anbu has never heard of such a thing from her mouth before.

"I need to go to Konoha, I have to go." The blonde explains, with urgency in her voice.

"What do you mean cancel?! You can't cancel or deny this request! You'll start a war!" He warns her loudly; but she still keeps walking, holding on a boxful of papers that she has to review.

"Konoha is just an assessment after all; do you really have to go Miss Temari?" Her assistant asks, concerned that she is making a poor choice.

She stops avoiding reality, and closes her eyes; wishing she had other options, as she answers: "Fine."

.

* * *

**.**

SUNA: Wednesday/Suna Headquarters/**The Sand Council Court/4:30 PM**

"And that concludes section 1.4 given request forms of the sound village inclusive with our trading advantages." Says the announcer of the assembly.

Kankuro drools from his seat, nodding off. Baki has to elbow him to wake up. "Huh, what? Is it over?" The general asks.

"Section 1.4 is over. Section 1.5 is starting.." The second general automatically summarizes for the guy, before thumping him at the back of the head with a straightened hand.

"Now pay attention!" The man with his face covered with cloth commands the hooded man. The general groans.

"How many more freakin' sections do we have to go through?" He asks Baki.

"About 20… that doesn't even include the sub categories." The Jōnin tells him.

"This sucks." The general reacts.

"Don't complain Kankuro, you took this responsibility and now you have to pay the price." The sand sibling instructor lectures.

"By wasting my time with idiotic meaningless ranting…" Kankuro adds, shifting from his chair, making him bend and be laid back. He looks on to the long big glass in front of him, that shows the village that at the moment seem at peace in such a big catastrophic chaos. He sighs. After five straight hours, Kankuro finally has a chance to get out of the room. Unfortunately, Baki appoints an escort to ensure that Kankuro will be coming back.

As soon as the hooded man closed the doors, he knocks out his current escort and went on his way. "That'll teach him to mind his own business…" Kankuro says, going for the exit.

"General!" A sand council representative shouts, after looking at the man lying in front of him.

"Don't worry he's not gonna die, I just put him to sleep for a while." The man with purple ink on his face assures the young man before him.

"No, Sir, It's not that… Although, I would like to talk to you about this…" Says the representative. Kankuro drags his feet back miserably.

"What?" The hooded man asks.

"The council would like to have a word with you…" The sand nin informs the general.

"What is it about now? If it's nothing important, just say I got sick or something and let's call it a day." Kankuro orders.

"It is important. And they want you in there immediately." The representative insists. Kankuro scoffs.

"Fine." He agrees, although he doesn't know that going back in is something that he would regret.

.

* * *

.

SUNA: **Thursday/Nearby Suna Headquarters/Sabaku No Residence/12:00 PM**

Sakura is in the kitchen, cooking up some lunch. Temari is on the laundry room, folding up some clothes. They aren't around to play with the toddler who is playing with his little teddy bear all alone. Kankuro who was watching tv, notices this and goes towards him. He bends his knees to confront him. "Where's Hanky?" He hides his face with his hands. Gaara blinks and looks around, even tilting his little head to see if Hanky is behind him. Finding it hard to see behind big Kankuro, he walks around him holding onto the guy so he can walk better.

But he couldn't find what he's looking for. He sits in front of the cat hooded person again and blinks some more. Then his eyes widen in realization.

"Hanky?" He puts his hands on Kankuro's, trying to open them.

"Boo!" Gaara who comes closer in curiosity backs up, startled and surprised. But as soon as he is familiar with the purple stricken face, he grins and laughs while clapping his hands.

"Again Again!" The red head demands.

"No… You found me so many times already…" The purplish pouty clown complains, laying flat on the carpet.

"Noooooo! Again! Again!" Gaara whines, pounding on Kankuro who keeps his head down indifferently. Seeing as his sloth like brother doesn't want to amuse him, he thinks of another way to let him.

"Again!" He jumps to his back and lands with a big – "Ouff!" Kankuro gags as the air gets knocked out of him.

"You're getting heavy…" Says the big brother miserably.

"Kaaakaaa!" The kazekage refers to the general with a big smile, he pulls Kankuro's cat ears.

"Play horsie!" Gaara orders, kicking Kankuro on the sides, bruising him.

"Alright, alright! Horsie it is…" He rises up in all fours, Gaara still on top of him as he crawls around.

"Yaay! Horsie! Giddy up!" Says the red head, swinging his legs around.

"Moo…" Kankuro replies, going up and down as he paws through the living room.

"Weee!" Gaara cheers, not knowing what a real horse sounds like.

"I'm going to go to the backyard to do some of the laundry." Temari tells them, looking a bit out of it, so she wanted some air too.

"Oh, okay then." Sakura says, washing the dishes.

"Lay off my clothes, you hear?" Kankuro says from the lounge room, leaving the kazekage on the carpet, waving his game controller to let her know he's around.

"Of course I won't, I'll have to fumigate the toxic rags before I ever get near them." His sister replies.

"What did you sa—" The general is unable to finish his question, seeing that she already left.

She closes the door, not bothering to let the guy start another bicker war. She takes the clothes out of the bin and starts to wash the clothes, putting detergent and water in a container. It is a nice sunny afternoon and she wants to enjoy it, so she decides to hand wash them. In a few hours, she has to pack up and go on her overnight trip to the village of sound. "Stupid convention." She grumbles, scrubbing a pair of pants too rashly. It has been a long time since she had a free day and so she is looking forward to visiting Konoha for even just a little while.

She hasn't seen Shikamaru ever since Gaara got abducted by the Akatsuki and is saved afterwards. That was two years ago. She sighs, tossing the ones she finished scrubbing to the basin of clear water. She has been going to Konoha every three months and he goes to Suna to give representative reports but they never had a chance to see each other every time that they did. Then a vision of Shikamaru's face comes up, his monotonous uncaring face. She starts to wash faster and hastier, when she thought she finished the load, she notices a lot of the clothes are soapy and still a bit crud out.

Gaara who is playing with his teddy notices her from the glass pane. Now free to walk as he pleases, he gets up and starts to walk to where she is. He still walks awkwardly but he is doing fine for someone who can't even support himself then. He is blocked by the glass structure, his hands printing on the clear wall. He taps it quietly with his fists, but Temari can't hear him. He looks around the wall and find one side of it is open enough for his fingers to fit and tug. His hands trembles as he pulls on the edge but the wall's side opens and he falls on his back.

He isn't hurt though and he did not cry, he lands on his stuffed bear so he falls with a poof. He stands and takes his teddy, patting its head as if he wants to console the soft toy. Then he looks at the now opened glass door and goes outside to where the busy frustrated blonde girl is. She sits back down at her small wooden stool and looks up to the sky, the roof blocking her view from the sun. He is about to tug her shirt when he notices the hill of clothing and finds it rather interesting to play with. She does it carefully this time, but it is too slow.

As she does, the child is having his fun tossing around the clothes. He is inside putting on Kankuro's underwear on his head. "Ooh…" He notices a puddle of mud and finds it fascinating. The basin tips over with a faint thud, and he scurries out and starts to play with the muck. With his white pyjamas on he starts to splash on the puddle, taking some of the mud and starts making mud balls. After a while, she stops and looks back at the finished bin. She frowns to find her finished work all over the place.

"The wind is pretty strong today." She put her bang at the back of her ear after a hint of breeze comes. "A good day to travel." She mutters. She picks the clothes up and started putting them back, not noticing the toddler who is now so covered with mud that he can't be recognizable. Gaara starts making snow angels, more like mud angels. The clothes are too clean; some of them actually have a lighter colour now. She pulls her hair in a mild sign of frustration. He looks up to where Temari is, about to make a noise when he notices her taking the bin and walking away to hang the clothes.

Gaara's teddy bear is inside, its little hand flinging as if he is asking for help. "Bear…" Like a glob monster, he stands sluggishly and makes mud foot prints to Temari.

The rope for hanging is a little loose, so she put the bin down and go to each pole and tighten the knots. When she stops, Gaara goes in the bin without even tipping it over and starts searching for his teddy. Temari who didn't even bother to look down grab some clothes and hooks them up neatly. When she takes a few more… she frowns, finding dirt all over the clothes. "What the—" She looks at the bin, and is startled to find a brown moving thing reaching for her with its grubby paws. "Aaah!" Temari screams.

"Mawy!" Gaara bellows. She stops screaming and looks at the glob carefully. "Gaara?"

"Mawy!" The boy reaches for her and gives her a mucky hug.

"Gaara, what did you do?" She says as he hugged her, a little surprised but laughing.

"You funny, funny boy." She pokes at his nose, removing some of the mud off. She looks at him, his eyes gleaming with a bright happy eagerness. She is about to smile at him, she wants to. But her grin cannot hide the shattered emotion showing up her face. "You're cutest most adorable thing I know, you know that?" She says with a broken voice. She hugs him again, so he won't see her tearing up. She holds him so tight, so she can stop herself from trembling.

"Mawy?" He hugs her too, patting her on the back without even thinking it through.

.

* * *

.

SUNA: Thursday**/Suna General Hospital/2:00 PM**

"Tetsu, I want you to give this exact chi pattern to room 305 and the second scroll to room 401." Sakura orders the rookie medic next to her.

"Yes, Miss Haruno." The medic nin nods and goes on his way. White uniforms are passing back and forth and she is standing on one side, giving each of them instructions.

"Miss Yuki is in need of some pain killers, giver her that C4 bottle next to the poisoned scroll compartment." Haruno tells the medic assistant nearby.

"Right." The petite girl says with a polite nod before leaving.

Another bows low before leaving to do the jobs that is acquired. "Miss Haruno, You have another case." The Suna medic informs.

"What is it?" Sakura asks. "A jounin has severe burns from his last mission on the chest area, he can't breathe very well." The young man continues.

"Where is he?" Sakura asks, taking the case profile along with others that is given. "Intensive care." The medic answers.

"Let's start with getting him hydrated, do the IV, the hidden water absorption technique and star's antibody formation." The pink haired kunoichi instructs as she reads the patient's file.

"What about pain killers?" The medic asks.

"It's too late for that now, better use something to hit fast. You'll need some more menders on this one, better get those in the first floor to cooperate." Sakura informs wisely, recalling that they are more than enough hands who can work in this sort of case.

"Yes, ma'am." The young man in a white uniform replies before doing as he is told.

"Uh Miss Sakura…" Another one comes up; one that has been coming back so much that she is familiar with her face.

"Now what?" Sakura asks patiently. "Um, we're having trouble controlling the Kazekage again. He doesn't want to take a nap.

" The medic tells her apologetically. Sakura goes to the last room on the hallway and to find with four medics trying to calm the screaming child down but are unsuccessful. Sakura sighs.

"You just make things a lot harder, don't you?" She takes Gaara, whose sand has been moving about erratically.

But as soon as she gets him, it calms down and eventually disappears.

"Ever since Kazekage regained his sand back, handling him is a lot more difficult." One of the medics says to the other.

"That's not an excuse for his behaviours, remember that." Sakura comments, having heard their conversation.

"Er… Yes, Ma'am." The medic bows as an apology.

"We just didn't go to the park today… He's been stuck indoors all day, aren't you?" Sakura wipes the small hot tears forming in his eyes. He nods. The group around them can't believe their eyes as Gaara is civilized and talking clearly.

"Mommy… I want to go out of hew… I wanna…" The child whines.

"Mommy?" One of them murmurs, they look at each other as if he has said something odd.

"Gaara bear, you can't. Mommy is busy okay?" She tries to reason to him.

Still, he whimpers and holds on to her arm and tells him: "Don't leave… I don't like it hew…" Gaara continues to protest.

"Mommy has to, but I'll be checking up on you a lot so don't worry. Until then, you have to get a nap." She hums the boy's lullaby as she props him on his bed. Sakura fluffs his side pillow and tucks him on his blanket. He holds her hand until his eyes starts to get droopy, until the last thing he sees is Sakura right there on his side.

"Don't go…" He mumbles, before going to a deep sleep, sucking his thumb.

Sakura sadly combs his hair and kisses his forehead.

"The kazekage-sama is so cute! I want to kiss him too, kyaaa!" The serene quietness is broken by the medic's excited words; they all look at her as if she has just ruined the moment.

Then the door swings open. "Miss Sakura! The burn victim is not breathing!" An intern medic comes in and shouts inappropriately.

"SSHHH!" They all hiss.

"Oops, sorry." He whispers.

.

* * *

.

SUNA: Thursday/**Nearby Suna Headquarters/Sabaku Residence/Bathroom/8:00 PM**

Splash… Splash… Splash!

The mirrors in the room are foggy with steam, the tiles streaked with puddles of water. In one corner, a young lady pours warm treated liquid unto her arm to check the temperature. Finding that the bath is ready, she brings her son forward so as to show the shallow waters.

"Come on Gaara, get in the water…" Sakura requests softly. He shakes his head slowly, looking at the tub in terror.

"Gaara… the water's going to get cold." She informs the child.

"No." He tightens his hold on the towel at his head, taking a step away from the steaming pool.

"No? Why not? It won't harm you, see?" She splashes some on him, he shivers.

"I don't wanna." He replies. "I'm right here, it won't harm you." Haruno insists.

"I don't wannaaaa!" The kazekage scolds.

"Well, you can't leave until you get a bath. You have to get used to it, okay?" She tells him, bringing a wooden dipper above his head, making the red head's hair slightly wet.

"Why not my little tub?" Gaara asks.

"You're bigger now; you have to use the big boy's tub." Sakura instructs. "Too big… too deep…" The boy expresses with a shiver. "No it's not. You can stand on the water." The kunoichi assures.

He hugs Sakura's leg, and tries to hide himself. "So scary… There's a monster in there…" The child explains to her innocently.

"I don't see a monster anywhere." She replies, pretending to look around.

"Don't make me please…" He starts to sniffle, wiping his wet face on her skirt. "Puhwease.."

Sakura goes on her knees and looks at him face to face.

"What if mommy goes with you? Will you still be afraid of the water?" She offers. Gaara then looks at her and at the mini onsen, he nods hesitantly. "I can go first before you, so you can see mommy standing with no scary monster swimming around." Sakura removes her clothes and wraps herself with a towel. Then takes a dip on the water, careful not to slip as she walks all the way to the middle, her body half submerged. "See? The water is fine." She walks back and sits on the edge to show him her feet on the rippling tile floor and then offers her hand.

Gaara takes her hand and slowly brings himself down. He starts to whimper, struggling when he feels the liquid. "Hot!"

"No, it's not hot. It's just fine…" She tells him. He relaxes as soon as he feels the porcelain tiles and opens his eyes.

"Bubbles.." He reacts, fluffing the frothy suds, loving them around.

"Yup, bubbles…" Sakura takes a handful and blows, some of the bubbles landing on his head. The tub is filled with white froth that he can't even see the edge; all he sees is a soft warm dream with his mommy on his side.

"It's not so scary now, is it?" Gaara shakes his head and looks at her, she smiles. She shows him a rubber ducky, squeaking it before she hands it to him. He starts to play with it, distracted for a while.

Until he stops and blinks his eyes as he looks at Sakura's smiling face. "Mom a girl." Gaara points out.

"Of course I'm a girl, didn't you know that?" She giggles. He doesn't reply and just stares. "What gives you the idea that mom is a girl?" Haruno asks, wondering what gave him the idea at such an odd place to be in.

"Mommy naked." He answers.

"What?" At first she has no idea, but when the idea starts to sink in she remembers. "Oh!" She completely forgets that Gaara is right there when she undressed herself.

"Gaara, did you see…" Sakura asks him consciously. He nods.

"Uh..erm..er.." She blushes and puts her hand on her mouth, in utter shock.

"Mommy pretty." He tells her shamelessly with a grin. However, that comment doesn't keep her from blushing some more, turning her face into a nice shade of red.

And it isn't because it is really streaming hot in there.

.

* * *

.

SUNA: **Friday/Suna Public Park/Sōgen to mugen no sora District/4:00 AM**

As soon as they see that bench, they park Gaara's trolley on the side and sit there as if it is the most comfortable seat that they have ever sat on. Their brooding is accompanied by the melodious chirping of the yellow canary that looks a lot happier than they are.

"It's a good thing we still stick with the schedule… If we got here in a late hour, we're going to miss the whole day." Temari says, trying to tie her hair but is unsuccessful.

"Yeah, I can only imagine what the hospital will be like without me there." Sakura comments.

"And I can only imagine the number of people looking for me if I try to make a run for it." Kankuro yawns.

"My secretary is going to kill me if I won't be in that stupid convention in four hours." Temari adds as she fixes the position of the trolley, locking the wheels and the strapping teddy bear on the seat.

The General, who has taken the caged bird, puts it down on his side. "It's best we let our pet bird here free, it's too dangerous for it to be around Gaara." He sadly deducts.

They didn't have to think it over when he has said that; they know that Gaara won't do such a thing as harming it but—

"Things are too unpredictable… He's too unpredictable..We don't even have time to take care for a pet anyway…"

The three look like they have come out of hell, getting punished by being miserable about it. Exhausted, drained and just not much in the mood for anything. They still manage to wake up early in the morning and drag themselves out of their beds to go the park. They haven't even change out of their pajamas, even Gaara who is happily rolling in the grass with his jammies. Kankuro, Temari and Sakura sigh, watching the boy walk around and have his own fun with everything that is around him. "This week was just…" They all groan miserably in response.

"The friggin' council just doesn't want me to get out of there. I can't even go to the bathroom by myself." He scratches his hood-free head.

"This sucks, I usually spend my time out and keeping everything in order by keeping the wall right, going to a few missions…" He bends, resting his arms on his knees.

"Now I am an old geezer. Doing bloody paperwork and listening to other people talk." He ruffles his hair some more, letting his dandruff fall.

"I keep on giving instructions; at times I can't even remember what I said." Sakura laughs lightly, describing her day as well. "The medics never give me a break and Gaara on the hospital just doesn't help… I don't blame him though…" She tell the sand siblings.

"Again, our medics are airheads. They have no idea what to do." Kankuro comments.

"It's not that. They know what to do, they just… don't know if it's right." She hugs her legs, her bare feet is touching the cold floor. "I have to go to a silent room and lock the door so the medics won't get to me when I try to calm Gaara down and put him to sleep." Sakura says with a tired smile.

"I have to punch the guy who was waiting for me by the rest room so I could get the hell out of there." He grins, still enjoying the feel of his knuckles to freedom.

"So you were the one who has been breaking the anbu's noses for the past few days!" Sakura shouts, appalled with his behaviour.

"Yes, and I enjoy every numb breaking sound of it." He rests his head with his hands and crosses his legs, also feeling the cold. "So Temari, what shit have you been through?" Kankuro asks his blonde sister.

"I keep going out, I go everywhere with papers…" Temari massages her legs. "But I feel like, I can't go anywhere at all… I can't…" She closes her mascara free eyes and rests her back, her face looking up on the clear blue sky. "Shikamaru broke up with me."

At first, they are stunned… shock has stopped them from reacting… "He did what?" The General asks for her to repeat what she said.

Their shocked voices is heard by Gaara, who turns to find one depressed looking girl and two very confused and shocked people beside her. Then he notices the canary beside his 'Uncle' Kankuro on the ground, out of their distracted eyes and put out in the open. The boy's green eyes gleam with opportunity, he smiles.

She nods and avoids the confused and shocked faces that they have.

"Woah… I know he is uncaring son of a bitch but that's just…" Kankuro starts. Sakura looks at him, telling him what he is saying is not helping.

"Temari…" Haruno starts to console, putting her hand on her shoulder with sympathy. But then she was interrupted:

"I always thought that would you be the one telling him… what happened?" The idiot brother continues. It's official. Men are as dense as rocks. Sakura pinches Kankuro on the shoulder to shut it as he should. Asking such a blunt question was like stabbing someone with a dagger.

"I thought so too… but he said…" The Prime Minister considers, but breaks her concentrated consideration instantly, not wanting to repeat what was told to her.

"Temari… Did he have a reason?" The pink kunoichi asks. Her friend's tears start to fall, the blonde wipes them away furiously

"Was it the long distance? Another girl?" Haruno proposes with hesitation, knowing that Shikamaru isn't that kind of guy.

"Yeah right." Kankuro mumbles.

"I wouldn't think about either, but is that the reason?" Sakura agrees, but is determined to deliberate.

"No… He didn't give me a reason… He just told me… and said that it wasn't me, it was him that was having a problem… and…" Temari sobs.

"Couldn't you guys fix it? Talk about this together?" The Med Nin interrupts.

"He said… He said we can't… It wasn't worth it." The Prime Minister finished with a tremble.

Kankuro shakes his head. "That idiot." The general expresses, referring to Nara as a fool for ending the relationship too casually.

Sakura gives her a hug. "Maybe he just wanted a little space, let's give it some time…" Haruno advises.

"I just don't understand… Why he would do that?" The blonde asks.

"That guy is just complicated… just forget it for now and see this as an opportunity to start new…" The pink haired kunoichi tells her estranged friend.

She let's go of Sakura and sniffles. "I guess you're right, no use stressing about it." She laughs. "What am I doing? This isn't like me…" She sighs. "I'll get us some drinks, what do you guys want? My treat." Temari tells them with a smile.

"I'll just have some tea." Sakura says, still concerned.

"If that thing doesn't have liquor, just get me soda." Kankuro says, without looking at her.

"Are you sure that you'll be okay?" Sakura asks.

"I'll be fine." The blonde says with a straight but sad grin and goes off to the vending machine.

"I wonder what has gotten to Nara's head." The pink haired kunoichi says, while watching Temari whack the vending machine.

"I don't know, but I bet a lot of things. Men are complicated that way." He says with a smug look on his face.

"Especially that guy. He thought this through; he knows what he's doing." He stands and stretches his limbs. "And anyway, they're made for each other… this is just something they have to go through." The general proclaims with confidence. Sakura blinks, surprised.

"Wow. Never thought you would be this way, when it comes to relationships." She says, impressed at her newfound discovery.

"Well, I have a lot of experience." Kankuro says, while combing through his messy hair and giving her a flirty smile. Sakura has to laugh, even a little. If you think about it, without his clown make-up, he is rather good looking. And he is, but with his shallow and proud comedic personality. She has to laugh.

"I better get that bird out of the cage before Gaara gets a chance to—" He looks down on his side of the bench and then on the other side. "Uh-oh." He looks around and finds Gaara on top of the nearest hill, dragging the cage and the bird flapping frantically. "Gaara, stop!" Kankuro runs after the little boy, Sakura stands and runs towards Gaara as well.

"Gaara-bear, leave the bird alone!" Sakura shouts. But Gaara is too far away to listen to them, his sand already circling around and taking the cage from his hands. "Gaara, don't!"

The red headed kid has done something they aren't expecting. With his sand holding on the caged bird up for him, he walks towards it and tip his toes. He opens the cage's door and, with his own hands, takes the bird gently out of the metal container. They watch silently, their feet planted on the ground. Something in them wants to look at what he will do, something wants to wait. "Hey, what's going on?" Temari asks, catching up on them with three cans on her arms. She drops the cans she was holding to the ground, and together they stand patiently.

"Cute canawy…" Gaara strokes the canary's head and lifts his closed hands, opens them and let the bird go. The small yellow bird circles around the child, as if thanking him and then flies away. "Bye Canawy!" He waves, the bird leaving him alone with the three now behind him. He turns to find Sakura, Kankuro and Temari's faces smiling, bright and proud.

"That is a good thing you did, little guy." Kankuro picks him up, raising him and making him pretend he that he truly is flying.

"I'm fwying!" He comments happily. They all laugh, and each gives him a hug. They watch as the bird flew far away, flying up to the blue sky.

As they looked on, Kankuro, who doesn't seem as enthusiastic as they are, has other things troubling his mind. **"**_**You know that this is the right thing to do General Kankuro…"**_ He looks at Gaara, his hands reaching out to the clouds, looking so unaware of reality. The child's hands are smaller than his, his frail fingers stretching aimlessly to the sky. The boy could not stride as wide and as confident as he does, he cannot make a step without wobbling his feet. His big brother, who holds on to him with a carefree but secure cling, could not find himself to bring the boy down. He looks so small and fragile.

_**The elders look at him, determined not to let this go.**_ _**His lips are shut, his eyes are distant.**_

The boy now settles on his back, snuggling his brother's hoodie like a pillow, looking tired but happy. "Uncle Hanky..is tall..strong perwson.." Gaara smiles at him, giving him a wide grin. Kankuro smiles back. He recalls a treasured memory of when Gaara smiled in such a way that cannot even be worthy to be compared from the smile this boy has. "Hanky has a big back, big and wide..like a beawr!" Gaara decribes his brother.

"A bear? Haha.." Kankuro laughs, finding it an amusing description.

"_**Or else he will have to live a new life, and not end up the way that he was…**_ _**To become a different person, someone who did not exist.**_ _**Gaara will disappear from the face of the earth."**_

"You were just as big as I was..A long time ago.." Kankuro reflects.

"Biwg? Like Uncle Hanky?" Gaara asks.

"Yeah..you were big and strong..and-" His big brother notices that the boy looks at him like he didn't understand a single thing he said. "Oh..Never mind." The general concludes. Gaara hits his brother's back softly, disrupting his pondering.

"Rawr! Mr. Bear! Rawr!" The kazekage shouts.

"Okay okay, I'm Mister Bear!" Kankuro proclaims, jumping and running to amuse the child.

"Yipee!" Gaara shouts. "Oi Kankuro, careful!" Sakura warns.

"Hey hey, he's gonna fall!" Temari adds.

"He'll be fine!" Kankuro says, skipping as he goes. As they have their fun, the General is still plagued by the last words that the elders gave to him.

**"**_**The Kazekage has to go through this… He has to..."**_ They told him urgently at that meeting, haunting him to this point. Though he enjoys his time with his family, his still enthusiasm fades and his face; now serious as they start walking home, Gaara sleeping soundly as he rests on his back.

"Does he..does he have to?" He thinks to himself loudly with a quivering voice.

"What did you say Kankuro? You were saying something?" Sakura asks from behind, finding his question odd.

"Ah, no, it's nothing..just talkin to myself.." He answers, hoping she wouldn't get worried.

"Are you okay Kankuro? You look troubled.." The pink kunoichi adds to her concern.

"No..No..I was just wondering if we should change Gaara's diet..he uh..he's getting kind of heavy.." He excused, but honestly the kid is lighter than he looks.

"No he doesn't, you just think he's heavy because you haven't been working out lately!" Temari joked.

"Ahaha, no way.." The uncle denies somewhat half-heartedly. Sakura still looks perplexed.

"Um, say, how old is Gaara now?" Kankuro asks so as not to bring attention what he said.

"He's already four, right?" Temari asks Sakura.

"Yup, Gaara is now four and a half." Sakura tells the blonde, her attention shifted to the fact being discussed.

"Can you tell us how old you are Gaara?" Aunt Mawy asks the boy. "Fouwr…" Gaara says, raising four fingers.

"That's right! Good boy!" The girls happily praise their little baby boy, clapping their hands and fussing over his cheeks.

"Four years old…" Kankuro repeats for himself as Sakura and Temari encourage Gaara as they follow him. The voice of the council haunts him one last time: **"**_**He must." **_

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**Gaara's Age:** **4 years and 6 months old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **One month and Three weeks**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	7. His first Wish

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His First Wish"**

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**Gaara's Age:** **5 years, 11 months, 3 Weeks and 4 days old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **2 months and 2 weeks**

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**SUNA: Tuesday/Sunakagure Headquarters**/**Kazekage's Office**/**7:00 AM**

The spacious room feels so empty and vacant, as if no one existed in this space. Everything is organized and clean, nothing is out of place.

"I can never get used to this." Kankuro thought loudly. The big brother takes the seat with remorse, feeling uncomfortable sitting at a rather comfy executive chair. No matter how many times he returned to this place, he knew that there is something..Someone is missing. This place is not like his room at all, where everything was dark and dismal. His brother kept this place clean and well lighted, professional yet personalized; with an air of blankness to it; interior decorations of black and white. It is like being there but not exactly; waiting to be tainted with other colours, waiting to have a life.

He turns the chair to look through the large window that is conveniently located behind him. Although this workplace is not spontaneous, the man manages to bring it to life with this spectacular view. An outlook of Suna. The village that is filled with colours that are lacking in this room.

"You're one hell of an interior designer, Gaara." He says with sarcasm. He knew that he was supposed to say his words as a compliment, but it didn't come out the way he wanted. Knowing that due to this persona of his brother, that he is having this wretched feeling.

Gaara watched Suna intently, always looking out from this window. He sighs.

"You're such an obvious git." The man with purple ink on his face grins, and laughs in a bittersweet manner. _**'You would sacrifice your life, for Suna's sake.'**_He closes his eyes in contemplation, his smile disappearing, and his face looking more serious. _**'To sacrifice your life..'**_He sighs again, in a more aggravated moan._**'For a pile of dirt.'**_He pulls the ears of his hoodie, annoyed as he listens to the voice in his head._**'I know you..that much.'**_He opens his eyes and continues to witness the scenery, knowing that somebody will soon appear before him.

"Kankuro." A man with cloth covering half of his face appears instantly on his side.

The General turns his chair to grudgingly face Baki, his advisor, for unwanted news. "Well..What have they been up to?" He asks his long time sensei.

"They doubled the Anbu numbers looking over Gaara, even following Sakura at hospital hours." Baki informs. Kankuro scoffs, knowing this will happen sooner or later. "The Sand Council has been doing meetings without your consent, discussing about the Kazekage's condition." The second to the General continues. "They are keen to following through the plan of-" The all knowing sensei stops, noticing his student's tightened fists and unforgiving look of anguish. "Kankuro." Baki says in a commanding voice, telling the General to listen.

"They sent a spy two hours ago, to record and report Gaara's condition back to the council." His mentor tells him in an urgent approach.

"Hahaha..So they went that far now huh.." Kankuro laughs with hate, mocking his own elders.

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SUNA: Tuesday/**Suna General Hospital**/**Medical Staff Lounge**/**8:00 AM**

"Erm..What was your name again?" The pink kunoichi asks the stranger who she offers a cup of tea to the guest.

"Yuri, Yuri Hasegawa." The brown haired girl says with a pleasing smile and a pleasant facade.

"Yuri-san, Nice to meet you. My name is-" Sakura offers her hand, with a just as brilliant composure.

"Sakura. Sakura Haruno." Yuri answers for her with an ecstatic voice.

"I heard a lot about you!" The anbu says excitedly, shaking her sempai's hand recklessly with glee.

"Really? All positive I hope.." Sakura replies with a bashful nervous look.

"Oh yes, very much. Many of the interns have been raving about your outstanding talent in the surgery ward. Especially when you furiously save patients from the brink of death!" Yuri states excitedly.

"Ahahaha.." The embarrassed-looking Sakura could only recall times when she scolds and at times punch her patient's chest to bring them back to life by force.

"Now then, let me repeat what you told me. Are you saying that in mere weeks, the kazekage managed a learning development far advanced than that of his age?" Yuri asks.

"Yes, that is true. We didn't have to teach him a lot, we thought we should have but he got everything right at first try." Sakura answers.

"Wow. Incredible." The 'medic' writes every word down.

"Every day, he would do things and say things that we never did or said in front of him..as if he knows them by memory." Sakura continues, recalling the times when he would get out of bed and he would do something out of the ordinary in the first hour.

"When we teach him knew things that he didn't know, he would patiently do as he was told until he got it right." She tells the interviewer, before sipping her coffee.

"Did you have problems weaning the Kazekage?" The unfamiliar woman asks with intent.

Sakura looks out of the window as she drinks from her mug, watching butterflies flutter around the pots of flowers as she recalls with a smile. "Well.." Haruno starts.

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_**Flashback:**_ _**Sabaku Residence**_/_**Morning**_

_"Gaara, give me the bottle."_ _The big brother commands. _

_The boy shook his head, holding on to his bottle possessively._ _Even though his feet are already not on the ground, he held on to the thing as if it was his life._

_"Gaara!"_ _Kankuro shouted, holding on to the other end._ _"You're too old to use baby bottles anymore!"_ _The General offered him a sippy cup._

_Gaara took it and threw it away._

_"Gaara!" The man with purple ink on his face continued to scold his name._

_"No!" The red head continued to protest._

_"Let him use his bottle for now, there's no harm if he did. He'll grow out of it sometime."_ _Sakura said, picking the sippy cup and putting it on the table._

_"He's only three." She reasoned._

_"Three and a half." Kankuro corrected._

_"Who's the medic here? He can still use his bottle, we'll just let him use it once in a while." Haruno insists._

_"I don't care! Gaara has been walking around with that thing on his mouth everywhere, it's unkazekage-like." He persisted, not wanting to let this go._

_"Unkazekage-like?" His sister repeats._

_"If we want him to grow up to be a big boy, he has to use a big boy's cup."_ _The general complains. _

_Temari rolled her eyes._

_"Or else he's gonna end up a wimp. A whiny wimp!" He continues._

_"You and your manliness issues." The blonde sand sibling pointed out with an irritated shrug._

_"At least I have standards on how to make Gaara be manly as possible. I mean come on, look at what he's wearing!"_ _Kankuro defended himself, as he pointed at the boy who is in his panda suit jammies, Gaara tried to reach his toes like a real panda would._ _"It's embarrassing!" He added._

_"I think it's cute!" Sakura said, giving Gaara a cuddle._

_"Maybe we should start teaching him how to eat bamboo." The prime minister joked. _

_The girls laughed, Kankuro frowns._

_"Have you lost your minds?" The young man with purple ink on his face asked them somewhat seriously._

_"We lost it a long time ago when we saw this little guy's adorable face." Haruno responded jokingly. _

_The women then start screeching in agreement._

_"Isn't that right? Yes he is…"_ _Temari said, cooing at the redhead._

_"You guys are helpless." The man of the house concluded. While Gaara wasn't paying attention, Kankuro grabbed the bottle from him._

_"No! Give it back!"_ _Gaara tried to reach for it, but his big brother held on to his small head easily so the child couldn't even get anywhere close._ _"Noooo! Give it baaaaccck!" He said wailing, jumping up and down._ _But he is still too short to reach and take it from him._

_"Give it back, Kankuro." Sakura tells the general with a flat yet threatening tone, trying to console the crying boy._

_"Nope. He has to get over with this infant stage of his, sooner or later." Kankuro said, refusing to give the bottle back._

_"I want my mu mu.." The kazekage openly whines._

_"Gaara, you're too big to use your baby bottle..you have to use your sippy cup for your mu mu." His brother says, a bit disturbed to replace the word milk with 'mu mu'._

_"I don't want sippy!" The child angrily protests._ _Sakura sighs._

_"Can't we do this thing another day? My ears can't handle anymore prolonged wailing."_ _Temari said, covering her ears._

_"Give it!" Gaara yells._

_"Give it Kankuro!" The blue eyed shouts, wanting the argument to cease._ _The general was about to give the toy back, but just as Gaara was reaching to take it back. Kankuro takes the stuffed bear next to him._

_"Teddy!" The red head shrieks._

_"Ha!"_ _Kankuro laughed in amusement, dangling the stuffed bear._

_"Give back Teddy!" The little brother ordered in frustration. _

_"I'll give you back Teddy..but you have to stop drinking from your milk bottle!" The big brother attempted to negotiate._

_"No!" The kazekage said with a tremble, clearly upset that he has to choose._

_"Kankuro, that's cruel!" Sakura reacted._

_"Bah, both of these things are embarrassing for him to hold on to. So what do yah say?"_ _The general brought the two things to dangle above the child's head. Gaara, seeing that he might just reach it by summoning his sand, light brown grains start to seep from the hardwood floors of their home._ _ "A-a-ah, no sand. Or else the bear falls." The general warned, noticing the moving of dirt. The hooded man then goes to a nearby window and brought the stuffed animal to hang outside with his outstretched arm._

_"No! Mr. Bear! Noo!"_ _He ran up to Kankuro and started punching him on the legs._

_"I-Ow! Won't- ouff! Give it to you! Now choose!" The general stubbornly responded, to his little brother's beating. Gaara stopped, knowing his soft punching won't get him anywhere._

_"Well?" His 'uncle' asked, giving him a chance to accept the offer, bringing the teddy a little higher to emphasize his point. _

_"Bear.." Gaara sniffed, pointing at bear._ _Kankuro gave him the stuffed animal back; the red headed with panda ears hugged his bear happily._

_"There see? Problem solved." The big brother said, looking at two very furious looking girls._

_"Don't you ever taunt Gaara like that again!"_ _Temari punches Kankuro on the face._

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**Present:**

"So every time, Gaara asks for a bottle. We offer him a bear trade. It's a bit harsh but it works." Sakura laughs lightly, still finding it hilarious.

"Oh I see, it's good to know you guys are strict when you need to." The interviewer asks laughing at well, but with more concern on Sakura's answer to her question.

"Yes well, Kankuro is usually the one who do most of the strict work. We just can't seem to say to no to Gaara-bear, he makes the most excruciating look." Haruno explains shyly.

"Gaara bear?.." The woman repeats with an unbelieving look, thinking that what Sakura said was rather strange.

The interview started just when she came in the Suna hospital, supposedly a required report interview of Gaara's condition and how much he has changed since then. The woman who introduced herself as a resident medic was someone Sakura never saw before. The medic explained that she just finished a mission around the hidden village area so she wasn't around the hospital for quite a while. She is instructed to give a brief report on the Kazekage's experiences since the incident as well as the boy's current condition. Sakura was a little sceptical, but when the woman shows the seal of approval by the council for the interview, she complies.

"Where is the little kazekage-sama anyway?" Hasegawa asks, thinking that the boy should usually have been in the premises. They have to keep a place for Gaara at the medical staff lounge, since he gets noisy when he's excited or when it's feeding time, and even when he wakes up.

"Today is sparring day, Kankuro is teaching him basics." Sakura informs Yuri.

"What? Are you sure it's okay for the Kazekage to spar at his age?" The interviewer then asks urgently, clearly alarmed.

"Of course, he should have daily exercise, it would teach him to have a positive way to let out any of his future outbursts." Sakura reassures.

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_**Flashback:**_ _**Local Suna Sparring grounds**_/_**Early Afternoon**_

_"Okay Gaara, this is a kunai."_ _The cat eared hooded guy informed the boy, showing him a pointy weapon._

_"Ooh.."_ _Gaara reacted, looking at the shiny thing with interest._

_"We hold it at this end and not the other end because it will cut you." Kankuro said, flipping the weapon and catching at the wrapped hold._

_"Now watch what Uncle will do."_ _He focuses on a far dart board, throws the kunai and hits the bull's eye._ _"Tadaa!"_

_"Uncle Hanky is awesome!" Gaara cheered, clapping._

_"Yes Gaara..sniff sniff..I am awesome." Kankuro turns away from Gaara for a moment._ _**'Gaara never told me I'm awesome, this is the happiest day of my life! Aah, something to gloat about when he gets back to normal.' **__He thought, grinning evilly._ _"Okay, now you try."_ _He carefully makes Gaara hold unto the kunai and shows him an easy target._ _"Now focus the pointy end on the big red dot and shoot!"_

_Gaara closes one eye, and gives his best shot._ _The kunai was thrown pretty weak and so it wobbled, landing not even close to the board._ _"It's okay Gaara, you can try again."_ _Kankuro gives him another Kunai, Gaara takes it hesitantly and give it another try._ _But it was just as unsuccessful as much as it was degrading, the thing hitting the ground inches from where they are._ _"Uh..That's still okay, here give it more force and air, and don't give up."_ _Gaara tries again._ _And again._ _And again._ _But still he couldn't hit the target, they moved to next closer target and the next one until they got to the lowest level._

_With one big huff he let the kunai go, his aim just in the middle of the dart board._ _"Yes, that's it!" Kankuro shouted._ _But the weapon started falling down, it was still a weak throw and in the end it fell to the ground._ _"Oh.."_ _He glanced at the kid, who was looking very frustrated._ _**'It's probably because of all the pads..'**_ _The big brother reasons to himself. __The boy is covered with protective gear. When he told the girls he would give Gaara a sparring lesson, Temari and Sakura made a big fuss out of it._ _**'They couldn't let him go without the pillows..' **__He mentally recalls as he watches the red head._

_Gaara tries to walk, but it was like he was still trying to. He falls, the heavy gear pulling him down as he tries to stand again._

_"Now, now..that was a good start. You did your best shot." His big brother said, pulling him up to stand and patting him at the back._

_Gaara didn't even look like he wanted to cry, he looked really angry and just kept his gaze on the unblemished targets._ _Seeing this, Kankuro thought Gaara might need some rest._ _"Let's call it a day, Yeah? Let's go home." He said, giving him a brief noog on the head._ _But the red head just stood, not following him._ _Kankuro walks away anyway, thinking he'll start following if he goes._ _Then he hears numerous simultaneous blasts._ _He quickly turns around and finds the dart boards, all the targets blown up to pieces._

_"I did it Hanky, I did it!"_ _Gaara shouts, jumping up and down, his sand moving around._

_"H-how did you-"_ _Kankuro looks down; he notices the sand from the debris going back to his master._

_"I – Did – it – Kaka!" Gaara jumping up and down in front of him._

_"Yes you did Gaara, yes you did."_ _Kankuro said with a proud grin, getting over his shock as he takes Gaara and carries him by his side while giving his matte red hair a noogie._ _"Now let's go and get some ice cream." The general suggests, as a prize to a good start._

_"Yay!" The kazekage celebrates happily, looking forward to his treat._

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**Present:**

"I heard that Gaara could hit targets when he was five before this whole transformation, but he was only three that day." Sakura points out.

"So his first experiences at present are done as if they were mastered before..fascinating." Yuri jots this fact down on her second paper that is near to its end.

"He started talking in full sentences today. And though he doesn't want to, he feeds himself all on his own more than before." The pink kunoichi informs proudly.

"Does he have any outburst lately?" The young medic asks cautiously, hoping not to offend her.

"Well, this would be his second bed." Sakura answers thoughtfully.

The interviewer looks at the bed located on the side and does notice that it is not a crib but a child size bed. "You mean to say he outgrew his bed?" The medic concludes with a questioning gesture. "Not exactly, we got this bed because we can't keep him on a crib without risking injury." Sakura said nonchalantly. "Er..without risking injury..meaning?" Yuri requests, for explanation. Sakura gives a wide applogetic grin for her son's action that she is about to confess. "When he was younger, it was hard to make him stay on his own. I only leave him for a few hours and when I miss the time he usually he wakes up he starts yelling and making a fit."

"Really? Could you say that this is a form of mild aggression?" Hasegawa humbly suggests.

"Mild aggression? Of course not!" Sakura shakes her head at such an idea, making Yuri feel slightly at ease. "He was about to commit murder!" Sakura says spontaneously with laughter, that the 'medic' if finding it hard to decipher whether she was kidding around or not. Yuri looks at her with confusion written all over her face, telling Sakura to explain a little further. "One time I didn't come to check on him for an hour and someone else came to check up on him, he was so angry that he started lashed out at the person." Haruno adds.

"He..lashed out?" Yuri asks hesitantly. Sakura nods.

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_**Flashback:**_ _**Suna Hospital Medic Staff Area **_

_He yelled and wailed and kicked, shaking the bars and making havoc by throwing his stuff toys out of his bed._ _The door opens and he stops, but the person was not the one he wanted._

_"Hello Gaara-sama, I'm here to check up on you!" The cheery nice guy said by the door._

_"Where mommy?" Gaara asks._

_"Mommy? Oh you mean Miss Haruno, she's in the ICU today and she's really busy. So she asked me to see how you're doing and if you're awake." Medical intern gets a baby bottle out of the fridge and offers it to him._ _"Does the cute widdle teeny weeny Kazekage want his milk?" He said in an overacting babyish voice._

_"No." Gaara pouts, crossing his arms and turns away from him._

_"Why not? Aw, little wawa Gaara is a little wawa cranky."_ _The young medic teases. _

_If Gaara was in his right mind at his right body, he would have thought that comment was an insult._

_"I know, maybe wawa made some stinky poopy and that's why he's so cranky." He takes him out of his crib, Gaara struggles._

_"No! weave me awone! I want mommy!" The boy shouts, kicking violently._

_"Alright, alright. You're not full anyway." He said after shaking him a bit._

_"Get mommy!" He punches him on the head with his fists._ _"Ow!"_ _He puts him back at the crib again._

_"No can do. Your mommy is busy saving lives, so cranky Gaara-sama should be polite and let his big brother handle him for now." He said, giving him a noogie._

_The boy didn't like how he scrubbed his hair; it wasn't how his Uncle Kankuro does it._ _"Don't touch me!" He closed his eyes, in irritation._

_"Now don't be like that, I'll give you a lollipop if you behave." The medic barters._

_"I don't want candwy, I want mum!"_ _He shouts._ _Sand started to accumulate, seeping out from everywhere._

_"L-like I said little guy, Sakura can't be here. So I'm going to keep you company until she does."_ _The young man tries to explain. __Sand was moving everywhere, the wind so strong that it was forming a small tornado._ _At first he backs away, but seeing Gaara right on the middle of it, he comes closer._

_"Gaara-sama, stop! You'll hurt yourself!" The medic warns, trying to reach out to the child._

_"No, don't come neaw me!" The Kazekage orders._

"_G-gaara-sama!" The intern shouts, fighting the strong winds in front of him._

"_I want mommy!"_ _He protests for the final time._

_The crib blew up, permitting Gaara to attack the guy in a wave of sand._ _A load blood curdling scream can be heard throughout the corridors._

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**Present:**

"And that's how Gaara destroyed his third and last crib." Sakura sighs nostalgically. Yuri stares at her blankly, her right eye started to twitch.

"B-but we had to replace the crib to a bed anyway, seeing as he was moody and growing really fast and all..so.." She explains frantically, but failing in making her words any better.

"H-how was the guy.." The young 'medic' asks to reduce the awkwardness.

"Uh you mean Ryuji-kun? Oh he's fine, just got a few cuts and scrapes..nothing serious. He found the experience..very informative.." She says, hopefully stating in the right words. However, the medic still looked startled, but laughs it out.

"Hahaha..Well..That was a very..Um..enlightening." Yuri decides to comment. Sakura could only laugh nervously along with her. The interviewer then looks at her long and hard, before giving an accomplished smile and standing up to put her dishes on the sink. "You really have a positive influence on him.." The brown haired girl compliments.

"Pardon?" Sakura asks, having not heard her properly.

"You're raising a wonderful son, sempai." Yuri tells her properly.

"Oh really? I can't tell if I'm doing any good honestly.." Sakura says with genuine worry.

"Nonsense Sakura-san, you are doing fine.." The brown haired girl pats her back encouragingly. "Well my time is up, I better get going. It's nice meeting you Miss Sakura." Yuri shakes her hand warmly.

"Thanks for stopping by, um, please don't give a lot of detail on - " Sakura is interrupted before she is able to finish.

"Don't worry, I won't." Hasegawa answers back, laughing at the thought. The young anbu disguised as a medic pauses from exiting out the room to turn and confront her again.

"Between you and me.." The reporter medic says as she turns around to look at young mother. "I think you're doing a brilliant job raising him. I graduated with Gaara in middle school, and I can tell you that he's more than happy." She tells the pink haired kunoichi, true to her words.

The anbu seem to have given her a good amount of relief, as Sakura smiles at her gratefully. "Thank you." Haruno replies with a short bow.

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SUNA: **Wednesday/Nearby Sunakagure Headquarters/Sabaku No Residence**/**Gaara's Room**/**5:00 AM**

It is Morning. Sakura eyes winced, the sunlight bright and blinding her. She raises her heavy head and stretching her arms.

Gaara is now five years old. He couldn't fit in his crib anymore weeks ago both of them sleep together in his bed since then, much to the delight of Gaara. Sakura tried leaving him to go back to her room last night, but he wouldn't let her. She yawns and pulls the sheet over, to find Gaara curled up beside her. When she removed the covers from his face, he huddles up closer to her, feeling the cold and the sting of light. He hugs his teddy bear tightly as if it was going to run away as well. Usually he would jump around the bed, coaxing her to get up. But today.

"Gaara-bear?" Sakura knows instantly that something is wrong. She combs through his hair with her fingers. Damp and Hot. She rests her hand on his forehead. A fever. "You're burning up!" She holds unto his hand, which is clammy and shivering as he clung. "Mum.." He mumbles. His heart beat if pretty fast, but he's still conscious. "Hey Honey..listen you'll be fine. I'm right here, you'll be okay." She uncovers the boy to cool him up.

"Mommy..it's cold.." The red head complains, whimpering.

"I know..But you have to cool down okay? You're really hot." Haruno tells her soon gently.

"I don't feel so good.." Gaara informs, looking really sick.

A faint line of worry started to form on her forehead. This never happened before. "Don't worry, I'll make it better." She puts her hands above but not touching his stomach and then slowly radiates to the other various areas and then his head. "Temari...Temari!" The pink haired kunoichi calls out to the sand sibling. The blonde girl exits from her room, her hair all messed up.

"What's wrong?" Temari yawns, having just awakened.

"Gaara has a fever." Sakura answers. "A fever?" The blonde repeats disbelievingly.

"Yes, I think he has the flu." Haruno assumes.

"Oh no, the poor baby.." Temari feels the feverish forehead.

"Could you get me some ice? And a heating blanket?" The pink haired kunoichi requests, positioning the child in a more comfortable posture.

"Sure, I think we still have some after Kankuro's little drinking spree." The blonde responds, and then went off to find the materials.

"What's going on?" The general asks, coming into the room, passing Temari by.

"Gaara's sick, he has a cold. I managed to lower the fever down but he needs to stay at bed for the whole day." Sakura answers.

"Really?" The man with purple ink on his face asks in doubt. Gaara sneezes. "Well, I guess that answered my question. Is there anything I can do?" Kankuro offers.

"Can you cook up some soup?" Temari suggests, coming back with the things that are needed.

"Okay, I'll make my famous spicy chicken soup." The big brother agrees.

"Er..what exactly is it made of?" Sakura asks, afraid for Gaara's well-being.

"Some leftover spicy chicken, what else?" Kankuro simply answers.

"Let's just stick with regular soup." Haruno tells him.

"Meh, the tyke might not handle its super spiciness anyway." He responds, he was about to leave but then he turns around, remembering he had to ask something. "Sakura, it's been weeks.." Kankuro starts consciously.

"Yes, and?" Sakura replies patiently as she tends to the child.

"So what is Gaara's age now?" The general persists.

"He's 5 and a half, why do you ask?" Sakura absentmindedly questions.

"Just wondering. Do you think he'll be six anytime soon?" Kankuro adds, continuing with his casual tone.

"Well, it's been three days..so I think most probably he'll be six tomorrow." Haruno replies.

"Oh..okay.." The sand sibling replies, before being consumed in his thoughts temporarily.

"Can I answer your questions in a better time? Gaara's really not feeling well." Sakura tells him as she and Temari is looking after to the boy.

"Sure no problem, I'll go out and buy what I need for the soup. Don't wait on me; I'll be out for a while." The man tells the girls as he brings his hood over his head.

"Okay, just hurry." The blue-eyed sister replies, too busy fussing over her little brother.

"You can't hurry Kankuro's soup making..but I'll try." Kankuro says, before going off.

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* * *

**.**

SUNA: Wednesday/**Sunakagure Headquarters**/**Sand Council Court**/**7:30 AM**

"The Kazekage's progress for the past three months has been well. He is growing in an advanced rate for his current age." Yuri answers to the council, bowing towards them with her head down low and her face now covered with an Anbu mask. Papers are given out, describing in detail about Gaara's current status.

"Is our witness cognitive with any sort of event that would back out your claims?" An elder asks.

"Yes, the Kazekage has been doing sparring sessions with General Kankuro for some time." The girl replies diligently, her hair tied and neat. She appears more formal than she was hours before.

They survey what Yuri recorded with insight on her conversation with Sakura yesterday.

"What exemplary findings, Miss Hasegawa." An elderly researcher who is part of the council compliments.

"Thank you, Sir." Yuri simply answers.

"You may leave now." The anbu's proctor instructor orders the girl. Yuri leaves obediently without a word.

"Is this true General?" The leader of the council asks the General.

"What is?" Kankuro answers coolly, acting all ignorant.

"That the Kazekage has been doing splendidly and he now has the capability to spar with someone like you!" The high elder states, with a loud aggravating voice. The General in turn, gives the elder a menacing glare, but nods in agreement. "Well then, that settles it. The Kazekage is fit to undergo the intervention." The elderly man proclaims, trying to calm himself while doing so.

"No, he can't." Kankuro answers without giving a second thought.

"And why not?" The elder patiently questions.

"He's sick right now." The general replies.

"Sick?" One of the council members repeats.

"He has a cold. It'll take him a while to recover." He winces in remorse, as the group started to murmur and react in protest.

"It's just a cold General, I think we are rest assured that he can still take it." The elder beside their leader reasons, annoyed that the hooded man would even speak of such an excuse.

"When exactly do you want this to happen?" Kankuro asks, finding their accusations quite too early.

"Soon. Very soon." One of them replies. They all look at him as if he already knew what they meant. Kankuro shakes his head in both denial and opposition.

"You can't be serious. Gaara is ill, he can't handle that." He tells them with concern for his brother.

"_Your _Gaara can't. But the Gaara that we knew can handle it just fine." An elder emphasizes, disliking the general's notion of weakness to the kazekage. Something about that comment snaps Kankuro's last attempts of civil manners. He stands in order to protest.

"He's changed, isn't that what you wanted? He's changing and he's doing just fine! Does he really have to go through that again?!" The General says with spite, standing from his chair, demanding to be heard.

"General.." The high elder calls unto him in a commanding voice, while signalling guards to be watch the hooded man's actions. Two anbus arrive in the premises instantly, watching Kankuro's every move. Ready to take a stand against their own General if they must. The loyal consultant of the General, Kiba, appears at Kankuro's side instantly as well. Confident enough to hack his lower officers if need be.

"This is something decided by the country unanimously. If you do not want to take part of it so we could do the process by your terms, then you are free to leave the premises." The high elder of the capital region tells the hooded man sternly. But Kankuro didn't back down.

"This isn't right..This is something that you wanted to avoid..something you are supposed to avoid.." The General tries to interject with prominence.

"I am sorry Kankuro-sama, but this request seemed logical enough. Gaara No Sabaku cannot be fit to be the Kazekage if he will not surpass this." The high elder exclaims.

"Kankuro.." Baki calls out to him cautiously. The seriously pissed off young man looks at his advisor Baki who is calmer and collected than he is.

"Get a grip..control yourself. The great shinobi assembly is supporting the elders..it's best to go through this logically." The wise man with his face half covered with cloth tells his former chunin student. Kankuro sighs incredulously in irritation, following Baki's orders by seating back to his seat.

"We are well informed enough to know, that Gaara-sama will pass this test remarkably." An old impatient subordinate answers for the group. "This is not the time to be getting soft General..even if he is your brother." A rather smug council member added. Kankuro stares at the man with murderous intent, before glaring at all of them. He could not handle talking in such an idiotic comment unless he retorts with violence.

"If all of you are not so friggin old and important..I would have killed the whole lot of you bastards already. You want to go down with this shit? Fine." He answers in a short strained manner and then calmly stands and throws his chair on the nearby wall, startling the pompous audience. "Have it your way. But when everything goes wrong, I won't be responsible for this ridiculous decision that you yourselves plotted behind the kazekage's back. I have my own sins to worry about." He warns as he walks away, followed by his advisor Baki.

"General." Another of the council's representatives calls out to him. Kankuro didn't reply and kept on walking. "We request you take the Kazekage to the site tonight." The council member still pesters to get his attention. Kankuro stops but did not dare turn to look back; for fear that his weakly kempt fury might explode. His second in command was about to answer them in his accord, but he then noticed the Sand sibling's hand rise from the corner of his eye, signalling him to pause from his possible actions.

"No need Baki." Kankuro states interrupting his advisor before he continues. "I'll take him there tomorrow at noon."

"But General-" The elders still continue to pressure, not wanting to prolong the dreaded process any longer.

"Tomorrow at noon." Kankuro says in a 'don't-you-dare-defy-me' tone. "He will still be six by then. You could at least give him another day to be happy." The hooded man tells them bitterly. With abrupt movement, he opens the large heavy doors on his own without consent from the guards, ignoring loud protests of the crowd he is leaving behind. Because if he did look at those detestable faces again, he wouldn't know how to control his rage from the insanity of it all.

"General! You must obey our orders or you are risking your family's position as head family of Suna!" The leader of the council elders desperately shouts, wanting to dominate the young man. But they all know that removing the Sand siblings as head family is an absurd and foolish idea. For they know that Suna would be nothing without them. The general continues to ignore their idiocy, not in the mood to answer back in order to purposefully begin a war. He has important things to do..for one, to get his little brother healthier enough to withstand their atrocious irrefutable judgement.

"With all due respect Sirs.." Baki who was following Kankuro out of the area turns back towards their direction and bows deeply. The outrageous rants of the elders are quieted down, knowing that such a high ranking officer as Baki, who bows lowly before them, must be heard with just respect. "Please give the Sabaku no family, time to say goodbye." He states, before disappearing himself.

The council doors are then closed quietly with the silence of fate.

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* * *

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SUNA: Wednesday/**Nearby Suna Headquarters/Sabaku No Residence**/**Kitchen Area/11:30 AM**

"How's he doing?" Kankuro asks the young woman who looks rather down, giving her another bowl.

"He's still shivering, but his fever is going down." Sakura miserably answers, playing with her soup.

"Thanks for cooking up some soup. I have to admit, it does taste good." She compliments.

"Told you I can cook." The general openly proclaims, but his smile is soon diminished by his thoughts.

"Kanky, something wrong?" Temari asks, noticing that Kankuro's usually proud grin doesn't seem to be as cocky.

"Oh?..Uh, I didn't get a lot of meat for the soup so.." He said somewhat lifelessly. The girls look at each other, even his usual attempt to his selfish witty comments is down.

"How did Gaara get sick anyway?" Kankuro asks, shifting their attention away from him.

"I can't really say. He was okay yesterday..It was just..spontaneous..out of nowhere.." Sakura answers.

"There were no signs, or symptoms?" Temari asks, handing out some tea.

"Not really..although he had been looking a lot frailer..weaker lately.." Sakura notices the guy's furrowed brow.

"You look worried, Kankuro." The pink haired kunoichi points out with concern.

"Huh?..Oh..Nah, just thinking about a lot of things lately.." The general assures insistently, breaking his somewhat distracted nature.

"Kankuro is just worried about his little brother, aren't you Kanky?" Temari says with an amused smile, teasing him while nudging his arm with her elbow jokingly.

"Ahahaha..You have no idea.." He answered with a weak laugh, scratching his head in an insecure manner.

Gaara started to whimper from his room. "Mummy.." He weakly beckons.

Sakura stands from her chair and takes another batch of Kankuro's soup with her. "I'll be right back." She goes to where the ailing boy asks of her.

With the two siblings left alone in the dining area, Temari could ask Kankuro why he's being so stiff. "Something happened, Kanky?" His sister asks. He kept his gaze on his soup, drowning a chunk of chicken with his spoon. "Maybe it really is the meat." Temari jokes. Her brother doesn't react from her attempt of jokingly ridiculing his cooking. "Kankuro." She uses his real name this time, and with a serious voice. She usually uses it when she wanted him to do something. She knows that something was eating him alive, and she wanted him to talk.

"Temari..." The General begins to confide. His sister edges slightly closer, ready to listen intently. The young man sighs in a tired gesture and brings his untouched soup down to the table. "We need to talk."

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SUNA: Wednesday/Nearby Suna Headquarters/Sabaku No Residence/**Gaara's Room**/**11: 35 AM**

"You don't want to eat some more?" She asks him. He shakes his tired head. "Okay, I'll let you rest your head now." She lets him down to the bed, after feeding him some of the chicken soup. "Uncle hanky's soup really helps you warm up, but you're still jittery.." Sakura raises the heat of the electric blanket. "Now get some more sleep okay?" She kisses his hot forehead. "I'll get you some ice."

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SUNA: Wednesday/Nearby Suna Headquarters/Sabaku No Residence/**Kitchen Area**/**11:40 AM**

"No..No..You're lying!" She turns away from him, shaking her head.

"Temari, I did everything I can. They just won't budge!" Kankuro insists to his sister.

"How can they do this? They're not supposed to have any right in the first place!" The blonde protests.

"I know, but they're not the only ones who would agree to this.." He rests his hand on her shoulder.

"You know that..we cannot go against the Great Shinobi Assembly." He says in hopelessness. Temari looks at her brother with agony, helpless and lost. Both the sand siblings do not have an issue in standing up to the Suna elders. But when it comes to The Assembly that represents the great Shinobi countries, it is impossible to protest without death involved. Thinking seriously about the situation, it took them a while to realize that someone is walking close by. When the two siblings finally turn to their side, their eyes are wide with surprise.

"What's going on?" Sakura came up quietly, with an empty ice bag. They turn to face her, looking surprised and wide eyed. "Why are you guys shouting at each other?" The pink haired girl asks. Kankuro was about to say something but Temari brushes his hand from her shoulder, telling him she'll deal with it.

"Oh nothing, I was just scolding him because of the price of the chicken he bought." The General looks at Temari confused. But he played along.

"Uh, yeah. The meat is overpriced." He said, scratching his head.

"Oh really? Well, that's odd. I was in the market yesterday and they were on sale.." Haruno recalls.

"He went to the wrong stall; they weren't familiar of his all too forgetful purplish face." Temari answers for her brother. Sakura laughs and went on to get some ice from the fridge.

"Don't worry; it's not your fault Kankuro. After all, shopping is usually a woman's job." The pink haired kunoichi tells the hooded man knowingly.

"That is so true." Temari agrees, giving a fake yet believable grin. "So how was your day? Apart from being stressed out by taking care of Gaara?" The blonde asks the pink haired girl, trying to keep her distracted as much as possible.

"I did that interview report today, it was fun talking about Gaara and how he has been doing." Sakura answers with a smile.

"That's nice..Er..what sort of questions did they ask?" Temari says with an anxious voice, looking nervous.

"Oh, the usual stuff..like what age he is in and all.." Haruno tells the blonde freely.

"Oh..okay.." Temari turns to confront her brother who looks just as aggravated.

"That interview did reminded me of something.." Sakura suggests, pondering on what exactly is she going to bring up.

"Like what?" Temari says with a sigh, calming herself, controlling her anger over such a concealed matter and asks her properly.

"That Gaara has been aging..And we never celebrated his birthday at all." Sakura smiles. "I have an idea. Let's do it!"

"Do what?" Kankuro asks, confused.

"Celebrate his birthday! He has been so blue lately; he'll cheer up if we surprise him!" Sakura answers excitedly.

"That's a great idea!" Temari compliments with an encouraging face.

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* * *

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SUNA: Wednesday/**Local Grocery Store**/**1:00 PM**

"She better bake a damn good cake, with all the bags that we will be carrying." Kankuro looks at his sister detestably, dragging the cart as much as he dragged his feet. "Ooooh~That's a great idea!" He mentions sarcastically, copying his sister's voice. "You just had to agree to this, make the situation worse than it already is.." He mutters angrily. "What are you talking about? I just got us out of the situation!" The blonde defends. "We were supposed to tell her the truth Temari." His brother reasonably points out.

"Are you crazy? It would break her.." She takes one of the cans of fruit stacked on display and tosses it at the cart.

"Then what are we supposed to do? You can't expect her to react differently tomorrow!" He questions.

"I know that.." The blue-eyed blonde replies sadly.

"Then why did you have to be all happy happy in front of her for? How are we supposed to break the ice now?" The general asks in a kinder tone.

"It's just that she's right.." She reads through the list that Sakura gave them and points to a bag of macaroni that she couldn't reach.

"She's right? Right about what?" Kankuro reaches for the macaroni and gives it to her.

"We didn't really celebrated Gaara's birthday..And we never did celebrate it when we were kids." She grabs a pint of cream and some eggs.

"This is not the time to be sentimental over such things.." Kankuro said indifferently yet somewhat affected by her statement, looking over some sake bottles.

"What else are we supposed to do?" She takes the bottle of Sake he was about to put in the cart from him and puts it back where it was. "This might be the last night that we would be around him..I don't know what to do either.." She tells him with frustration. The general chooses not to reply, understanding her view on the matter.

They go to the cashier, and started unloading the stuff they took. "You got a kid?" The man on the other side of the counter asks them.

"Huh?" The dazed Temari looks up to the guy cashier who smiles at her and shows her the baby food she took. It's a small glass container of peas and carrots. "Yeah..kinda.." She takes the quaint container somewhat hesitantly.

"That's funny; you don't look like a mom." He tells her.

"No..It's not like that.." She managed to laugh, not bothering to punch him. Kankuro just looks straight ahead, ignoring his sister's uneasiness.

"Oh..I'm sorry..I just thought-" The store owner is interrupted, by the blonde:

"It's okay..I shouldn't be taking these anymore, how silly of me.." She looks at the glass nostalgically. "The kid of the house is all grown up.." She tells the man unnecessarily.

"Ahh, so you do have a kid..Yeah, I went through that too. I bought a couple of these, forgetting that my daughter is already three." The man informs, laughing out loud.

"Oh..you don't say.." She laughs weakly. "I just..have a little brother." She holds unto the packaged mashed food tightly. "He's turning six tomorrow…"

"Oh really? Well greet him happy birthday for me.." He was about to hand the receipt but she was trembling too much to take it.

"I'm so stupid.." She says out of the blue with a sniffle, tears rolling down her face. "My brother is six years old..and I was going to get him some baby food?" Her voice cracked. "So..stupid.." Temari drops the pint and hugs the cat eared guy next to her out of habit. "My baby brother's growing so fast..No one's going to be left..I'll be all alone!" She wails.

"Are you okay miss?" The guy looks at Kankuro who looked just as cross as he is.

"Women..so emotionally complicated." The general says, while patting her sister's back.

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* * *

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SUNA: Wednesday/Nearby Suna Headquarters/**Sabaku No Residence**/**Gaara's Room**/**8:00 PM**

"Gaara-bear? Gaara bear..wake up.." Sakura gently stirs him. He opens his heavy eyelids, his blurry vision clearing up. "Hello..How was your nap?" The pink haired kunoichi then asks him. He rubs his eyes, not bothering to answer. "Your fever is all gone, and you're not shivering anymore.." She said, removing the melted ice bag out of the way. "How long I shweep?" He asks, clearly irritated that he slept at all. "A very long time, it's already night time." She says, pointing at the dark skies out of their window. Gaara blinks out of wonder and curiosity, knowing that mothers don't usually wake their kids at night.

"While you were sleeping, Mommy, auntie and uncle made you a surprise." She fixes his green pajamas, by buttoning his top.

"Surprise?" The boy repeats. She nods and takes his hand, she tries to help him to walk but he is losing his balance.

"You're still a little weak on the legs..Kankuro!" She calls out to the general. "Coming!" The big brother comes in, noticing Gaara is holding unto Sakura for support.

"Come here little man, I'll give you a piggy back ride!" He bends down and let him hold on to him. "Gaara, close your eyes.." His big brother instructs him.

"Owkay.." He did as he was told, closing his eyes with his hands.

"Here we go.." Kankuro walks with the boy on his back, going towards the kitchen carefully.

"You can open your eyes now.." The General says, having made the boy comfortable on the couch. The redhead opens his eyes. They laugh.

"You can also put your hands down Gaara." His big brother instructs with a kind voice.

When the Kazekage puts his hands down he finds Sakura, Temari and Kankuro huddled in front of him. "Surprise!" They shout as they go out of his way simultaneously, revealing all sorts of food and a delicious looking cake in the middle. A shower of confetti blocks his view. "Happy birthday, Gaara!" His family tells him. The red head in green oversized jammies is enjoying the entertainment, amused at the funny party hats his family wears but also at the shiny red ball thing on top of Kankuro's nose. He claps as they cheered some more and as Kankuro started clowning around.

"Do you want to dance Gaara-bear?" Sakura offering her hand. He holds on to her as she led him step by step, careful not to make him fall. It was a simple sort of dance, were they just stepped around here and there, making circles. After Sakura, it was Temari's turn..and then Kankuro's turn to show him some of his disco dancing moves. The girls watched in horror, Gaara thought it was fun.

"Time for the cake!" Kankuro started making some noise by singing the birthday song, the girls singing along as well. The boy ogled at the candles that are shining from the dim room, six in all. Just the right amount as his supposed age is. Glistening like the glow of dancing ember or fireflies.

"Okay birthday boy, make a wish." His big brother asks him.

"A wish?" The kazekage questions in return.

"Yes, a wish. Ask for something with all your heart, then you'll blow the candles..and it will come true!" Sakura explains. He looks at like she was saying the strangest things. She laughs, before brushing his matte hair and then reassures him. "Really, close your eyes and make a wish." Haruno tells him with sincerity. He then closes his eyes for a while, and then opens them again.

"Did you make your wish?" She asks. He nods his head.

"Now blow the candles, Gaara.." The boy didn't understand what they meant by blowing, but when Temari blew a candle in front of him, he got the idea. He blows the rest of the candles, with some help from them of course. And when the last candle was blown they turn on the lights and started shouting in celebration, kissing and pinching him, and hugging him a lot. After they were done with their ruckus fun, they settled down and went back to their seats to have some festive dinner and cake. Gaara loves the dessert, a sweet strawberry cheese cake; he especially loves eating the strawberries.

"I can't believe you like strawberries kid." His big brother wretches from such an idea. "But whatever." Kankuro gives the rest of his strawberries to Gaara, stuffing him with the whole bunch.

"Here Gaara, you can have my strawberries too." Temari, offering her piece of fruit.

"I'll take that." Kankuro eats the berry from her fork. "Hey! That was Gaara's berry!" The blonde complains.

"He already ate a lot of 'em, if he ate yours he'll have a stomach ache!" The general explains.

"What do you mean by that?!" Temari hits him with a spoonful of icing. Kankuro hits her with more glob than she does.

They started throwing pieces of cake at each other and making a fuss out of him, putting icing on top of Gaara's nose. The place is once again a mess; there are cake sediments almost everywhere. In fact, their faces are covered with it. They celebrated until midnight, spending the evening together, celebrating by enjoying a staged fireworks display from the outside that is especially planned for this particular occasion. Temari held his brother as tight as she could as they witness the splashing colours painting the night while Sakura is in the kitchen making another batch of cake.

Kankuro watches his sister and little brother on the side, drinking rice wine that is quickly tasting like mere water for him. Both of them are doing their best to focus on the present than the future.

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* * *

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SUNA: Nearby Suna Headquarters/Sabaku No Residence/**Lounge area**/**12:00 AM**/**Thursday**

The party seem to have no end, until Kankuro and Temari just wanted to rest but end up fast asleep in the sofa. Sakura puts a blanket over the both of them and escorts a caked Kazekage to the bathroom.

"Let's wash you up and get to bed." Sakura tells her son. The kazekage yawns, fond of the idea. Since Gaara is getting bigger so fast, they decided to buy clothes that are at least twice his size. So she has to roll up his sleeves and the ends of his pants when she puts on his clothes. She lets him brush his teeth while she changes her clothes in her room.

"Birthdays are fun." Gaara said with a grin, when she re-enters the bathroom, checking the way he brushed his teeth.

"Yes they are." She wipes some icing out of his cheek with a wet towel.

"Let's do it every day!" The boy proposes.

"If you grow a lot more, then maybe we will have to do it every day." Sakura pinches him on the nose before fixing his sleeves.

"The cake was sweet.." The red head compliments.

"You're sweet!." She gives him a hug, loving how he said words in a small high pitched voice. After washing up a bit they went on to their room, the window open. "You have to rest now, you had a long day..and you're still sniffling a bit too." She reminds the boy. Gaara sneezes in response, and then rubs his eyes. She takes some tissue and covers his nose, wiping what's left of the sneeze.

"It's getting cold, I'll close the window.." She says, feeling the cold air. Gaara follows her, just as she was about to close the window, he notices the pitch black sky. "So many stars right Gaara?.." Sakura points out. He nods. "They're so pretty and bright.." Sakura picks him up and they both sit on a rocking chair beside the beautiful scenery. She lets him sit in her lap as she moves the chair back and forth gently. "Don't you just want to touch it?" Haruno points out, watching her son look at the skies in awe.

"But they're so far away..aren't they sad that they are way up there?" The innocent child asks.

"Of course not..Because they have each other.." Sakura answers, in a way that he would understand.

"They do? Aren't they going to leave someday?" Gaara then questions, purely curious.

"Of course not, they're together forever..there's not a star in the world who doesn't have someone close by.." Haruno says with warm light-green eyes.

"Oh.." Gaara watch at the clusters of light silently, their glow reflecting from his eyes.

Then they hear the sound of a clock chiming from the distance. "Oh, it's midnight already?" She looks at Gaara who seems to be bothered by the sound. "That means you're officially a year older now.." The pink haired kunoichi tells him. "Really?" He asks, amazed at himself. "Happy birthday Gaara.." She kisses him on the head. She wraps him in a blanket; he looks so adorable in with its pinkish color. "Gaara's six years old!" The kid laughs as she irresistibly hugs him. "That reminds me..what was your wish when you blew your candles?"

"I wished that we'll be together forever.." He turns to her filled with hope and anticipation. "Right, mommy?" Sakura felt a twinge of insecurity..a sense of guilt. For she is unsure about the future. But she already knows what she is supposed to say.

"Hai..together forever.." She kisses his forehead and buries herself in the blanket, hiding her unresolved face.

When she said those words, a star fell out of the sky.

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**Gaara's Age:** **6 years old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **2 Months, 2 weeks and 3 days**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	8. His first hurt

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His ****First Hurt"**

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**Gaara's Age:** **6 years old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **Two Months, 2 weeks and 3 days**

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**SUNA: Friday/Close to the Sunakagure Capital/****Shiori District**/**12:30 PM**

The day is clear, even if clouds are all over the sky. The rays of the sun brighten and magnifies, melting the last of the cold hiding from the dark spaces. Even the puddles that are still after the rain are starting to move and shrink. In an instant, it wasn't just the scorching sun anymore that quenches the liquid to death. - Splash! - A man's big foot obliterates one of them immediately, the last of the puddles sparkles in the immediate movement. An action more stirring than usual, stirring such rare ripples that speak of relentless anxiety.

"Damn it Temari! Why did it take you so long to change your clothes?" He shouts at his sister who is running behind him.

"What do you want me to do? Run around naked?" She answers.

"You could have at least taken your bloody huge fan with you!" Kankuro critizes.

"Well, I'm sorry I wasn't thinking clearly while you were shouting around the house like some mad person!" The blonde answers him the same irritation.

They woke up at exactly 12:00 pm, and ever since then they have been searching all over the house and calling out for Sakura and Gaara.

Until they decided, that the other place that the mother and son could be in is at the park.

.

_**Flashback:**_ _Friday/__**Nearby Suna Headquarters/**__**Sabaku Residence**_/_**Lounge area**_/_**3:00 AM**_

_Kankuro, who is still feeling like a drunkard wakes up, and stands, out of the inviting couch._ _He looks at the clock, which he has been doing numerous times since Gaara's fate has been decided._ _3:00 am._ _He sighs, and looks around to find Temari at the other end of the couch, fast asleep._ _"Temari.."_ _He gently shakes the blonde girl to stir._

_"Hm.." His sister merely mumbles._

_"Wake up.." He pesters._

"_What.." _ _She started says in an annoyed voice, wondering why her brother is daring to wake her up._ _Kankuro who is still hungover, gives her a few seconds to understand._

_Temari's eyes open wide and her pupil are constrict, realizing why she needs to get up._ _"Gaara! W-where is he?"_

_The both of them ran towards the small quaint hallway, clanging the waxed wood noisily._ _They slammed the door open, to find the bed empty._

_"They're gone!"_ _They felt the cold wind that creeps from the window that is open, the chair still creaking from the weight that it holds._ _They approach the chair that sways gently, assisted by the gust of wind._ _With a trembling hand, Temari stops the rocking chair from swaying and confronts whoever was sitting in it._ _It was Sakura, holding Gaara in her arms._ _They sigh in relief, as if a suffocating tension was taken out of them._

_"He's still here.." The blonde states, with relief in her voice._

_"Of course he is.." Kankuro said in an uncertain voice._ _"But..They're still going take him at noon.."_ _The big brother looks at Gaara and Sakura with concern._

_"Did they say a specific time that they would come for him?" Temari asks._ _Although she did not wants to, she has to know._

_"No. I'm supposed to be the one taking him there..but..Lately their actions are unpredictable.." _ _He removes the party hats that he wears and tosses them to the side._ _They look at the pair for a while and went down to their knees, resting their backs by the window._

_"We didn't even have the chance to tell her last night.."_ _Temari looks at the woman's contented face, undisturbed by their presence._

_"Don't worry. We'll tell her in a few hours, as soon as she wakes up.." Kankuro assures her._

_"Yeah.." The blonde agrees miserably._

_"Until then, we should get some rest.." _ _Kankuro takes the two pillows from the bed and tosses one of them to Temari._

_Temari catches it and hugs it lightly._ _Kankuro sits beside her, watching the serene scene, the pillow now on his head._ _The blue-eyed blonde sighs, still watching the two in an anxious and tired state._

_"I don't think I can sleep."_ _The prime minister informs. _

_"I don't think I can either."_ _The general replies. __They stare as the moon gave out a pale bluish glow and made Sakura and Gaara look like statues of stone or marble that will forever be carved in their heads._ _It was like there was nothing holding them away from the future, from each other._ _From tomorrow, that is today._

_After watching for hours without making another sound, their eyelids started to get heavy and their bodies too tired to move._

_"Temari.." The blonde sleepily calls out to her brother._

_"Kankuro.." The auburn haired man groggily calls out to his sister._

_"Wake me up, when we have to.." They both say, without even thinking that they are proclaiming their intent together:_

_"Protect him.."_ They finished. _The siblings drifted to sleep, unaware that they are._ _They sleep leaving the mother and son to sleep, vulnerable from destruction that the world can untimely give._

.

**Present:** SUNA: Friday/**Hohzuki View Bay **/**3 miles from Suna Public Park**/**12:40**

"Damn..Damn..Damn..Damn!" Kankuro cursed as he ran. Temari couldn't even control her own mouth either, as she almost slipped and slide on every stair and curving boulevard. They started to jump from roof to roof, they lurked until people couldn't even see them. Their fear fuelling their every step, no matter how worn their legs are. "Gaara.." The blonde points out desperately. Their eyes darted towards the sandy hectare, and then they found what they were looking for. A red and pink flash of color from the sidelines.

"Hey guys.." Sakura hollers at their direction, waving as she smiles. Kankuro and Temari just stood there, out of breath. "Where's Gaara?" They ask, as if it wasn't obvious that the child was behind her.

"He's over there.." Haruno tells them. They look to where she is pointing at, Gaara is swinging by himself.

"Oh..Thank goodness.." One of them proclaims with relief. As puzzled as the pink haired kunoichi was, she took it as some sort of paranoia.

"Is he alright? Is he any better?" Kankuro asks her, feeling better after a few seconds of just standing.

"He's fine I guess..But.." She turns around and watches the boy, the two of them standing at either side of her.

"He's a little blue..like something is bothering him..and he frequently asked me to hold my hand and that I won't let go.." Haruno informs them, clearly concerned at the kazekage's odd behaviour. Temari gave Kankuro a worried look, asking him but not verbally if their problem has anything to do with this.

"It's weird really, I thought that maybe it was some sort of withdrawal..but he's not this moody..I'm actually worried." Sakura continues, stressing herself of what may be the reason.

The General shakes his head hesitantly; knowing it might just be connected happened years ago, but find that such an idea is not possible.

"He's usually a lot more talkative and excited when we go to the park..but this time..it's like he's actually scared that he's outside at all. How about you guys? Everything okay?" Sakura asks, seeing them so stricken with anxious fear.

"Y-yeah..Just needed a little jog is all.." Kankuro said laughing and coughing.

'_**He wouldn't have known what will happen..Unless he remembers..'**_The general thought. Temari looks at him with a commanding desperate glare, telling him to start telling the truth before he starts another procrastination conversation. "Erm..Sakura..actually.." He stands straight from his driven composure and looks at her seriously. "There's something I have to tell you.."

"What is it?" Sakura replies.

"It's probably better if you seat down." Temari suggested, offering the bench.

"Um..Okay." Haruno agrees hesitantly, conscious as she is looking at their serious faces.

"I'll go and stay with Gaara.." The blue-eyed blonde says as she walks towards the lonesome child. Kankuro wasn't even looking at the pink haired kunoichi, thinking of some sort of way to talk to her without making it too drastic.

"What is it Kankuro?" Sakura asks, after waiting for a few moments, seeing him thinking things through. After a long sigh, he closes his eyes for a few more seconds and then opens them again. "It's about Gaara.."

"Gaara?" Haruno repeats unintentionally, pertaining to the boy who is now watching attentively, edging from her seat. Clearly alarmed at what she is currently seeing in front of her.

"Gaara!" Temari then shouts, also noticing what is happening in front of them, approving the Konoha kunoichi's fear.

"Oh no...Gaara!" Sakura states in a more anxious tone before she stands, and then runs abruptly towards the questionable scene.

"Yes, yes it's about Gaara! Temari, will you shut up and let me tell Sakura what the hell is going on?" Kankuro stands and exasperatedly shouts, annoyed that he's being interrupted and lost Sakura's attention so she could understand what's going on in the process. But when he sees the two strangers that caught their attention from a distance..he understands. "Shit!" He reacts recklessly. As fast as he could, he runs towards the scene. Of Gaara, struggling as much as he can, at the hands of two unidentified men.

"Mommy!" The boy shouts.

"Gaara!" Sakura call out to him. When the anbu realize the Kazekage's expression to the person that is foreign to them, they let him go to Sakura.

"Mom!" Gaara holds unto her tightly.

"It's okay Gaara-bear, I'm right here.." Sakura said, trying to calm him down. "What are you trying to do?" She asks the two suspicious strangers.

"Miss Haruno, we are trying to take the Kazekage away now. It is time." The anbu who is next to her informs respectively.

"What do you mean by take him away? Time for what?" She asks, clearly not aware of their plans. With that the men look at each other behind their masks, and then look at her.

"You don't know, Miss Haruno?" They ask.

"Know what?" She answers. However, they choose not to reply this time. Without a word, they attempt to take the red head from her, thinking that she is now distracted and disoriented. But before the other anbu was about to reach for Gaara, she swipes his hand away and gave a dangerous glare.

"What is the meaning of this?" Temari asks questioningly, blocking Sakura and Gaara away from the anbu.

"We are going to take Gaara away now..it is the council's orders." The sand nins explain to the laidies respectfully.

"It's too early..I didn't even mentioned anything to Haruno or Gaara.." Kankuro reasons, catching up to them.

"I see..either way. We must be taking him now." They were about to reach for the Kazekage again when Kankuro hits shards of needles inches away from their faces using his puppets.

"No! Not yet!" Their high officer demands.

"You are not in position to be ordering us anymore, General." One of the anbu came in front of him and opens up an official scroll of the Sand Country. "The Sand council and the whole of the Sand country's advisors decree that the Suna General: Kankuro No Sabaku, and The Suna Prime Minister: Temari No Sabaku ..will temporarily be removed out of their positions given this day of Yoake no aki . Therefore, they cannot be affiliated in Gaara No Sabaku's condition and until the process of re-establishing the Kazekage has been accomplished."

**The sand siblings could not believe their ears.** **Their own village turned against them.**

"What the hell?" The General takes the scroll and re-reads it himself, his eyes darting angrily at every word written. "This is bullshit!" He tears the scroll into shreds, and furiously drops the shattered pieces to the ground and steps on it. "None of you shitheads informed me of whatever shit they did!" He tells them furiously.

"We thought it would be meaningless since you would give the Kazekage up anyway.." One of them explains.

"Meaningless my ass!" He punches the guy who tried to reason with him. The anbu who took the punch stutters, his mask breaks and his cheek red. Kankuro's fist on the other hand, is bleeding. "General..we would appreciate it if you took this discreetly.." One of them warns. The two armed themselves against him, although it would be stupid.

"Or else we will have no choice but force the Kazekage to come with us.." They threaten, knowing that their General would not dare harm an ally. Not too drastic at least.

"You can try..I'm too pissed to let both of you get away.." Kankuro summons his other wooden weaponry, ready to pounce at them if they took another step closer.

"Kankuro.." The pink haired kunoichi calls out to him. He turns to Sakura who was trying to console a trembling child. "Kankuro..what is going on?.." She asked quietly.

"Uncle Hanky.." Gaara looked afraid, but not afraid at the two men who equipped themselves with mere kunais..but at him looked terrifying as hell.

When Kankuro saw that face, his team of hollow animals instantly collapsed to the ground. He never shown Gaara his fiercely angered disposition ever since he changed back into a child, he was usually his funny kaka of an uncle..never this. He goes to Gaara who in turn shifts cautiously behind his mother but didn't exactly hid himself. "Hey..little guy..It's still me..You're uncle.." He bends to let him get closer.

As soon as the boy saw his brother's usual inviting expression he jumps to him in desperation.

"Sniff sniff..You were scary Hanky.." He tells his big brother.

"Gaara..You used to make my scary face all the time..Your face was a lot scarier though.." Kankuro tells him, resting his hand on the boy's head.

"I did?..I don't like a scary face..I don't want one.." The red head protests.

The red head denies. Hearing the boy's plea, The General tells him with a bitter and sad grin: "Idiot..you don't have a choice.."

The two Anbus, started to make their move after one of them replaced his mask, they were about to go towards the Mother and Son when Temari blocks their way.

"Hello boys.." She says, grinning; bringing her hug fan in front of her.

"Prime minister..Please stay out of this.." One of the Sand Anbu warns.

"Oh you know damn well that I won't stay out of anything.." She said as she thrashes her fan at them violently, not planning to back down easily. One of the sand nin sighed before, equipping themselves again. As the blonde keeps the kidnappers away from her two brothers, the general and the Kazekage are deep in conversation.

"Remember our talk two weeks ago?..About you being a person we knew?" The General brings up. The boy nods.

.

_**Flashback:**_ _**Sabaku Residence**_/_**Rooftop close to Gaara's room**_

_"Gaara..Someday you'll rule over this land and protect the people.." Kankuro told the boy as they watch the sun set._

_"Weally? I'll be Uncle Hanky?" The boy looked up to his brother, surprise gleamed from his eyes._

_"Yup, but you'll do a better job than me.."_ _The boys sat together on the roof of their home. After a hot day, the warmth of the sun would radiate through the clay tiles. _ _And so every time it became noon, the place was perfect to just sit down and admire the view while feeling the wind passing by._

_"But I'm so wittle..I can't be you.." The boy told him, insecure of himself._

_"Then don't be me..be you." The General then replied back._

_Gaara looked confused._ _"Why do you think I said you'll do a better job than me? I suck at this job." Kankuro told him, sure that he can never master such a tiresome role as the kazekage._

_But since the boy had no idea what he is going through, Gaara did not give a reply. Letting such a confusing statement a moment of silence, in order for him to decipher what his brother said._ _Kankuro sighs._ _Thinking that this is going nowhere, he decides to give the red head a hint: __"Do you know that you were born the second time around?" He told him._

_"I was?" The boy asks with a surprised look._

_"Yes, like reincarnation..or something like that." The man with dark brown eyes said, while scratching his head._

_"What's rein..reicara..re.." Gaara attempted to ask, but could not say the word._

_"Reincarnation. You were born before, you weren't a boy like you are now..you were a man..a very bossy moody crazy..man." The auburn haired man tells him._ _This time it is the__ boy's turn to scratch his head._

_"You were a person we knew and love..a person that I know, a person that your aunt knows.." Kankuro continues._

_"A perwson that mommy know?" Gaara asks excitedly._ _"Yes, but you turned back to a kid.." The general adds._

_"But I am a kid." Gaara points out._

_"Yes you are, that's my point..and someday you'll be that man we knew.." The hooded man told him._

_"But how?" The red head then asked reasonably._

_"You'll grow to be like him, and you'll go through things that he has gone through.." Said the General._

_"Oh.." The boy merely replied, not knowing what to do with that sort of information._

_After another moment of silence watching the city together, the boy asks his big brother:_ _"Mommy love's that person wright?"_

_._

**Present: **SUNA: Friday/**Suna Public Park**/**1:00**

"I'm scared.." Gaara confides to his big brother openly. Kankuro has never seen him in such a state, at least, not in a long while. He then recalls, back when he was still a kid himself, when the child in front of him was also crying the way he is now. But at that time, he never mentioned that he was scared. Perhaps it is because the red haired boy was scared all the time back then. And it wasn't like anyone would hear his weak plea. The general himself did not dare console the child, knowing that he will get punished. Back then..he was a scared weak kid too...distracted and afraid to shelter his little brother from the perils of the world.

With the second chance that he is given, to raise Gaara right, he thought he would never see this day again. Or at least when it happens, he could have prevented it. But just like before, he is left powerless. However..he knows. He knows that from all that his siblings, and himself, went through, such experiences have made them who they are. With a small faint hope, he chooses to encourage the boy to face the unkown. "This is one of the things that you will go through to be that man, we want you to grow up..to be strong.." Kankuro explains.

"No! No! I don't want to!" The boy hugs him tightly, shaking his head furiously.

"Why not, Gaara?" His big brother asks gently.

"What if you'll forget me?" The red head asks.

"We won't forget you..you're still the same annoying git that bit my ear a few days ago.." The general assures the boy.

"But..But..What if I forget you?" Gaara then brings up, making his brother speechless for a moment. Even Kankuro didn't know the answer to that; he didn't know that he would bring that up. It was too far away for a child to think about..and yet he did. He rests his hand to his head, something he usually does when he needs Gaara to listen to him seriously. Even before he turned back into a child.

"As long as you don't let yourself forget us..you won't." He hugs his little brother back briefly, knowing that if he held him too long he wouldn't let go. "You have to go with those two airheads, don't worry they won't hurt you. They're too afraid to."

Gaara cries, but cries silently. Knowing now that this isn't the time to be emotional. "Remember that you're stronger than you think okay?" His big brother reminds him. The whole time Kankuro was talking to him, Gaara looked at Sakura with a face that was trying to hide his fear. "Temari..You can stop now.." Kankuro orders Temari softly. The blonde girl did as she was told, and grudgingly let the men pass. Kankuro raises his little brother up to the air to lighten up the mood and brings him down to mess up his red hair. "You used to get angry every time I did this.." The general tells him sentimentally.

"Why didn't I like it?" Gaara asks.

"I dunno..you tell me when you get better in remembering who you are.." Kankuro merely answers, encouraging the boy to challenge himself.

"General.." The spectators warn him yet again. Kankuro glared at them with all the hate he could muster..as he gave his brother's hand to them.

"Gaara!" Sakura shouts, she was about to interrupt, but Temari blocks her this time and slowly shakes her head.

"They're taking him right in front of us! Why is Kankuro handing him to them?!" She points out, clearly oblivious.

"Sakura..it's okay.." The blonde tells her. The pink kunoichi looks at Temari with a state of helplessness, then watched as Gaara is being taken away.

"Mommy!" The boy turns his head and shouts for her as they walked a good distance away from them.

"Gaara!" She calls out back. By instinct she just ran, even if Temari told her to stop, she ran. But she was too late..before she could even reach his outstretched hand, they were gone; in an immense speed that made them invisible to the naked eye, they disappeared. At that moment that she felt Gaara's presence completely disappear, her heart started to ache. She collapses, her knees barely supporting her as she held on to her chest, writhing in pain. **It was as if a part of her went away as well, no..it was more like her soul came out of her body.** **Her life.** She started to cry, her eyes welling up in tears even though she has no idea why.

"W-what's wrong with me?..I can't breathe.." She coughs and wheezes for air, having a hard time to inhale. Everything was a blur and then darkness. "G-gaara.." She gasps. Then she feels a comforting touch..a gentle but firm hold. She holds unto the one who tries to console her..hiding her stricken face by her neck. Temari who was also in tears..

"He'll be fine Sakura..He'll be fine.." The blonde tells Haruno, comforting her. Sakura is still a little shaken up as they assisted her to a nearby seat.

"Tell me..Tell me what's going on.." Her words tremble, but she has to try to be civil. "Before I hunt them down, and kill the ones who took him myself.."

Kankuro, who kept his head down and his hands combing and pulling his hair tension stands.

"I can't say if we can still save him.." He stands, and looks at her with a serious but empathetic face. From his voice, Sakura could tell he was being blunt to save her from further hurting herself.

"But if that's what you want..then we'd better hurry."

.

* * *

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SUNA: Friday/**Suna forest reservation area**/**80 miles from Suna's Private Sandnin Examination grounds**/**1:30 PM**

"12 years ago..Gaara went through..something traumatic.." He jumps on one branch to another as he explains. "After what happened to him with our uncle that day, Gaara was never the same.." Kankuro adds.

"Uncle?" The pink haired kunoichi repeats. An image came up, of a picture Sakura saw in their album, the three siblings and an unfamiliar smiling man.

"He was the one in that picture.." She remembers, because his eyes didn't reflect the cold ones that they had. It was actually somewhat warm..but suspiciously it was as if he had another face underneath.

"What happened to him?" She asks. "He tried to kill Gaara..but in the end Gaara was the one who killed him instead." The General tells with bitter spite.

Sakura looks at Temari who nods in agreement. "No.." Haruno says in disbelief.

"Our uncle and Gaara were close..He was like the father that we never had, the one who filled that growing hole in Gaara's heart..but when he tried to kill our little brother..Gaara was devastated." Temari says, remembering the time that Gaara came back home. "He was so traumatized, that when he murdered him in defence, he lost most of his conscience. His hope."

.

_**Flashback:**_ _**Sabaku No Residence**_

_"G-gaara.."_ _Temari said with fear, finally she __recognizes him; her body shivered uncontrollably as she quietly let him in their home. Her scared eyes follow him as he makes his way inside. She could barely handle the stench that is wafting from the boy. She tries not to breathe needlessly, as she keeps her face emotionless as possible. But she couldn't. She could smell the strong pungent odour of rusty dried and coagulated blood. Keeping her distance is all she can do to avoid puking as she notices pieces of guts and hair of someone she is not familiar with._ _"Where's uncle?" She asks, afraid of the answer._ _He turns and faces her, his eyes blank._

_"He's dead." He tells her, an insane crooked grin creeping on his chapped lips. The boy continues to hold his headless stuffed toy as he drags his dirty feet mixed with dirt and blood to his room._

.

**Present:** SUNA: Friday/Suna forest reservation area/**85 miles from Suna's Private Sandnin Examination grounds**/**1:32 PM**

"He wasn't the same after that..so many people turned against him already and Uncle was his last chance of keeping him sane.." The blonde tells Sakura in a cold sweat, just recalling what she saw as traumatizing. "He lost his mind that day it was a frightening thing to see your brother, who is younger than you, going through all that.." Temari confides in despair. "It was bad enough that he killed him..But then something made his situation worst.." The prime minister says ominously, looking pale as the conversation wanes on.

"What did?..What happened?" Sakura asks hesitantly, afraid of the answer.

"Remember our chunin exams? Gaara was too comfortable..Like he has done it before.." Kankuro tells the pink haired kunoichi. At that time, before the invasion started, they have been through a lot then from merely trying to stay in that assessment for Jōnin level. Both Suna and Konoha Chunins were having a difficult time. But Gaara looked like he has gone through hell by his emotionless careless attitude. "The people of Suna, and the council, decided that having him around was too dangerous..they wanted to get rid of him and they did..They got rid of anything that was keeping Gaara from killing life..any life." The general continues.

They darted from tree to tree, picking up the pace as the hooded man continues with his explanation: "They let him go through the Suna grounds..to be assassinated..Gaara was only six years old.." He tells Sakura, his eyes showing deep sympathy and pain.

"The Suna grounds?" Sakura asks, not knowledgeable of the tradition of Sunakagure.

"It's the place where our Chunins go through, as a pre-testing before chunin exams..He went through the obstacles and everything..but the mock assessment is done in a more worser state. They wanted to kill him after all. They intended for him to die at that time." Kankuro explains.

"So he.." Sakura could not continue with her question, trying to keep herself focused enough not to fall into the ground due to her stirred emotions.

"Every ninja in Suna was required to attend Gaara's assassination..all of them had to do everything they can to kill him..or risked being killed." The general tells her, letting the woman fail in expressing her feelings towards such a heinous act. Sakura's lips quivered, her footing is unbalanced that she had to stop to regain it back.

"In the end of the course, we waited by the exit. Only one boy who was covered in blood came out..laughing insanely..and thousands were left inside dead." The man with purple ink on his face continues.

"They're planning to do it again.." She concluded with a silent voice. He has gone through hell..And now hell, is dragging him back.

.

* * *

.

SUNA: Friday/**Sandnin Examination grounds**/**1:35 PM**

The gates are rustic, spears and jagged shards sticking on every end. The top is lined with electric wires and the bottom sprung by sharp sickles, that even if you dug as deep as you can, you would never get to the other side. "Where's the general?" The large guard by the entrance asked the two who accompanies the boy.

"He couldn't come..He refused to surrender the kazekage to us.." One of the Sand anbu answers.

"Oh..Well, can't be helped. Who'd like to see his brother gets slaughtered right?" The man tells thoughtfully. The serious looking Anbu didn't answer, feeling a sense of grief for the boy next to them.

The guard who has a big scar on his face went down and looks at Gaara from head to toe. "Well boy..this is the big day.." He brings down the lever beside him and opens the entrance. The way to Gaara's destruction.

.

* * *

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SUNA: Friday/**Suna reforestation Area**/**70 Miles from Suna's Private Sandnin Examination grounds/1:40 PM**

"Why didn't you tell this to me earlier?" Sakura scolds at the siblings while dodging a branch in front of her.

"We were going to ruin Gaara's birthday! We couldn't tell you!" Temari answers.

"We could have celebrated his birthday on a different day! We could have fixed this!" Haruno replies, reaching another branch, and then another.

"No we couldn't! They didn't decide this on their own Sakura! They consulted with The Land of Wind Legion, they asked even for The Assembly's permission, It'll be weeks before we got this down!" The blonde explains, as she moves from tree to ancient tree.

"The Assemby? You mean _**The**_Five Great Shinobi Countries Assembly?! B-but!...Augh!" Haruno hits a trunk in rage, as she passes to another. The tree breaks in half.

"It's too late now Sakura, we can't do anything. We can't defeat every single person that would be there.." The General darkly resumes, knowing that there is nothing else that could possibly be done.

"We can! You know we could! Then we can get Gaara the hell out of here!" Sakura continues to argue blindly, denying the fact that there is no hope for Gaara's rescue.

"They'll look for us, Sakura. The whole Sand Country will. Everyone will get involved." The hooded man reasons.

"Over my dead body.." The pink haired kunoichi says loudly, true to her word. Her eyes determined to accomplish such a promise, if need be. Kankuro, who was on the lead stops, making the two women stop as well. Sakura isn't thinking logically anymore. Like a genuine mother, she is already letting the emotions take over. Kankuro has to make her confront the problem.

"Exactly Sakura..Over you dead body..And then what?" He dares to mention to Sakura who in return couldn't answer. "What will happen to Gaara then?" The general challenges the Suna medic prodigy face to face.

"I—I don't know…" She finally admits.

"I don't know either. Nobody knows." Kankuro confides, bringing his hand to rest on her shoulder. "In the end Sakura, the only thing that we can do..is trust him." He tells her.

.

* * *

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SUNA: Friday/**Sandnin Examination grounds**/**2:00 PM**

"After you Kazekage.." The man mockingly said. Gaara looked terrified..but he walked his steps to the atrocity. Many guards and a handful of Anbus are perched high up in their towers.. They look like vultures, or crows..waiting patiently but with wavering faces. Their eyes looking at him with fear and yet with sympathy. **Is that even possible?** **Fear and sympathy?** **Maybe.**

He takes his last step. Making it official that he is now inside the deadly trap they heavily and slowly closed the doors.

"Wait! Stop!" Someone bellows in protest. And so, halfway to getting the gates shut, the guard stops.

"Gaara!" One of the intruders call out to the boy, revealing themselves as the group that the gatekeepers were told not to let them enter.

"Oh no you don't.." The man shutting the doors sneers. The guard continues to turn the lever to shut the large gates, ignoring the plea of the General. Now the gates are completely shut.

"Gaara!" Sakura call out to him, still running to the entrance.

When he heard that one voice, he bolts out of the place in a heartbeat.

"Mom!" With his sand, he disintegrated the wall that keeps him from her instantly. The foolish guard could only gawk as the kid ran free from what was an undisputable grasp. When she holds on to him safe in her arms, it was like everything made sense. It was like she was lost minutes ago, but when she finds him, her frantic apprehension is released almost instantly.

And then he asks a fatal question: "Mommy..where am I going?.." Followed by an impossible request: "I don't wanna go.." He pleads.

And then reality falls down upon them, the sickly feeling of insecurity deepens. She doesn't want to let go, to intentionally make him face danger, of which she cannot even imagine. **But still.** **She has to be strong too. ** **For him.** With immense control, she separates herself from the child softly and looks at the boy face to face. "Listen to me..Gaara-bear.." She bites her lip, unbelieving of what she is about to say. "I know you're scared..I am too..But you have to do this..You have to do what they say.." Sakura says with a breaking voice, but she continues to make a courageous front for her son.

Gaara shakes his head in disbelief, he was never told to follow others other than his family..other than her.

"T-then..come with me.." He suggests.

"No..I can't.." Haruno replies painfully as he looks away from her, finding this arrangement unacceptable. Her and his siblings were always by his side, being alone was something new to him.

Something that he thought that he never was..alone.

"No..no, no, no! I don't want to!" He replies, looking so scared; he wasn't letting go of her hand as she tries to calm him down.

"Gaara..Gaara listen..This is a game..okay? You're going to play a game.." Sakura tells him, to keep the boy focused.

"A game?" The kazekage repeats.

"Yes, a game." The pink haired kunoichi replies.

"Can't you play the game too?" He asks so innocently. To the point that she has look up at the grey sky, trying her best not to tear up in front of him. Telling him that she won't be there is painful.

"No.. You have to do this game by yourself.." She sadly replies, wishing that she didn't have to deny the boy. Gaara then wipes his tears with his hands irately, furious that at what is happening..furious at himself. He's scared, like any child would. He tries to hide his shaking, but couldn't. His legs could not contain his fear.

"But don't worry..I'll be there at the end of the game..You see that tower over there?" She points to a large old looking turret, in the far end of the closure.

"In this game, you have to go to that tower. Mommy will be there waiting for you, okay?" She waits for him to agree, but Gaara couldn't answer properly anymore, he was trembling a lot. She carries him now, patting him at the back. She didn't carry him for while, since he was an infant. But it didn't matter; she picks him up from the ground anyway and holds on. "When you are back inside..I want you to run..run as fast you can.." She encourages.

"Run?" The boy repeats.

"Yes, Gaara. Run." She said kissing him on the head. "Run to the tower and don't look back. Whatever you do Gaara..Don't look back. Even if you hear anything or see anything..Just keep moving forward." She combs his hair comfortingly as she holds him. "Don't stop for anything..Just keep moving..Don't look back..never." She orders. _**'**__**Don't stop even for me..'**_

Gaara started to whimper silently, knowing that she will be leaving him now. "Do this for Uncle Hanky and Auntie Mawy..Do this for mommy.." Slowly and gently she lets go of his hand and let him stand by himself. She hugs him again, more securely.. "Remember Gaara..We love you so much.." When she said that, Gaara looks at his siblings, searching for an answer. From a distance, Temari cries on Kankuro's shoulder, she wanted to go to where they are. But she couldn't, knowing that it would only hurt more if she did. Kankuro chooses to stand stiffly, trying to keep a neutral face for their witnesses. But his hands are balled into fists.

"Remember that we love you no matter what.." She rests her forehead into his and closes her eyes. "I love you.." She gives him her best smile, a smile that tells him that everything will be alright.

And then she backs away from him and watch excruciatingly as he leaves her behind.

Kankuro was about to follow the boy, staying by his side, until the big guy with a scar at blocks his way. "Where are you going General?" Said one of the guards.

"I'm going to the view deck..to supervise this damn examination.." The hooded man replies monotonously as he could.

"We were just informed about your loss of position in these circumstances..You are not allowed to foresee the incoming events as told by the council." The guard insists bluntly.

"But I am the one in charge of Suna Grounds activity..That doesn't count as one of the objectives.." The general patiently reasons.

"General..You are also relieved of that position..They figured you can't stop yourself when the Kazekage will be in a situation that requires probable assistance.." The anbu who took the boy informs his superior.

Kankuro could only close his mouth, not wanting to make a scene in front of the Gaara that will make him more unstable. Instead he averted his glare from the guard excruciatingly and looks at his brother with a feeling of miserable uselessness. "Gaara.." He calls out to the boy. The guard was about to refrain him again, but Kankuro shoves him to the side and then makes his way to the boy. He puts his hand on the boy's shoulder, careful as not to be too emotional. "You take care when you're out there..remember everything I taught you.." His little brother is too panic stricken to be listening to him clearly.

The General rests both his hands on the boy's shoulders, getting back his attention. "Someday you'll need to protect those you love..You will need to protect your mother..but first you will have to protect yourself.." Kankuro tells him with his face serious and his eyes stern. "I want to see you at the end of this shit hole..I want to see you before I even get inside the tower..You understand?"

"Yes, Uncle Hanky.." He replies.

"Kaka.." Kankuro corrects his brother.

"Yes..Uncle Kaka.." The boy then revises obediently. The general will probably miss that annoying names that Gaara gave him.

"Good..Now, go." The hooded young man tells his brother with pain in his eyes. The boy does as he was told and doesn't look back. His back is small and lowered..his legs short..his whole body is trembling.. He looks like he was about to die right there, like an insignificant corpse. But he keeps on walking. Leaving them. And as soon as he passed the gates and disappears into the fog, Sakura felt like the part of her was running away.

A feeling that is stronger than when he was taken. It is her innate instinct, telling her that she may never see him alive again.

"Gaara.." Without even thinking Sakura started walking aimlessly. "Gaara!" She shouts. But no one replied. She runs.

"Sakura, don't!" Temari stops her and hold her down with all her might. "Temari! Let me go!" The pink haired girl protests, her eyes fierce like ice.

"Sakura! You can't!" The blonde tells Haruno as she struggles to restrain her, practically being dragged. The Kazekage could hear her screaming..Feel her tears in the dirt..Listening to her voice saying his name.. But he didn't look back..

"I said let me go!..Gaara!" The pink haired kunoichi calls out, slightly pulling away from Temari's lock hold.

The bystanders started to intervene, seeing that Sakura seems to be no match when it comes to strength. Kankuro started beating up anyone that comes near, his hate enjoying every hit he gave. "You wanna fight you bastards.." The General sinks his foot on someone's face. "Then come get me!" The hooded young man shouts at the top of his voice, coaxing them to come at him.

"Sakura.." Temari is literally being dragged away. The enraged woman does not even stop to realize that Temari's elbows and knees are already bleeding from trying to restrain her. "Sakura!" She shouts this time. It was like the prime minister is battling the living, who could not hear nor sense her. "Sakura, stop!" Temari has no other choice but to hit her somehow. The blonde tosses her on the side using the strong wind of her fan, pushing the young woman to the farthest wall, away from the entrance. She then covers herself with her huge fan from her temporary position, and runs for it.

Millions and millions of arrows are showered down at the prime minister's direction, but twice as much is directed at place where the boy is located. Thankfully the blonde is protected by her fan. But when it comes to Gaara however, his situation is unknown. "If you make one step in there, the archers are going to aim at you knowing that you're not Gaara! So don't-" Temari did not have to continue her explanation, seeing that Haruno loses her will to fight when she heard the sound of arrows falling on her son's direction. The distraught kunoichi falls to the ground, looking away from the scene that is now skewered by arrows.

"Sakura.." The blond bends down to console her, covering Sakura's as she cries uncontrollably.

"Temari..It won't stop..I feel so.." What she felt the first time she felt his presence was gone, felt ten times more painful. "It hurts.." Sakura confides. Temari looks on at her with deep concern.. She offers her hand to her, but the girl is too shaken up to notice. The blonde gives her a tight hug without hesitation, knowing that she needs one too. Her blonde friend's restraint attempt awakens her from her mindless resistance.

"Look away Sakura...Close your eyes..and look away." Temari tells her with a trembling voice.

"Gaara.." The pink haired kunoichi calls out in vain. Her tears cannot reach him anymore.

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SUNA: Friday/**Suna grounds**/**Stage Six**/**Jounin Level**/**3:00 PM**

His breathing is laboured as he ran through the wilderness. He doesn't know what's behind him and he doesn't know what is waiting ahead. But he did as he was told, and he ran. He heard the metal gate clanging just as soon as he passed the entrance and then he heard the arrows falling from the sky. But that was all that he could hear properly, such last horrifying sounds that he heard from the outside.. Before he is continuously bombarded by his own dangerous obstacles from above and below. He did not dare to look back or take a pause to cry from the possibility that his family died.

He has to be strong, believing..hoping that they came out alive. Another group of hidden spears comes his way. He managed to dodge the skewers at the sound of speed; his keen senses strive relentlessly, keeping him from making a wrong move. It has only been a few hours, but it feels like he has been battling out for days. His heart is pounding from exhaustion. His lips are cracked and bleeding from being dehydrated. He is being hunted down in almost every corner and direction to the point that he can barely see as he battles out smoke screens and wild fire.

The constant shouts of men and sounds of large weapons driven to kill him are loud enough to make anyone deaf. As he tries to breathe as much as he can, calming his nerves, he concentrates on getting back his hearing and his sight. Finally, he can make out the sound of a nearby stream ahead, a direction that does not seem to harbour any ill becoming. He climbs a tree and cautiously makes his way to water and temporary seclusion. With light steps he goes to one side of the creek and quenches his thirst. At first, he thought he was safe for a little while.

But then he hears the distinct blowing of a horn, signalling his location. He can sense them coming. Quickly he finds a place to hide, seeing as that they are too close to attempt making a run for it. He didn't dare wail, nor speak, nor whimper. He clamps his mouth and his closes his eyes tightly, the thudding of footsteps alarming him.

"He went over there!" They foolishly follow a route that he clearly wasn't in. Gaara sighs shortly, looking out from his temporarily safe abode. He notices the kunai that is sticking out from the trunk behind him. He let out a small yelp, reacting from the sudden pain. The metal is still red of seething heat to intentionally sear the skin, having been thrown along with numerous others from a short distance. He holds on to his burnt hand, the pain radiating. Immediately sand submerged and squirmed out of nowhere, destroying the metal that hurt him. The metal is sifted along with the sand, corrupting it to dust rather noisily.

"Did you hear something?" A stranger asks his colleague. "Yeah, me too.." Another answers.

Gaara's eyes widen. He could see a man's foot from where he was hiding. He covers his head and closes his eyes tightly, wishing for them to just walk away. He hears a lot of rustling noise, and then silence. He cautiously looks back at the corner where he saw feet. He sighs, thinking that they are finally gone. And then he hears a faint but loud shattering noise of wind and metal, three kunais aimed at him. The sand sluggishly but successfully blocked the metal shards before they could even touch him. Startled, he backs away from his position, revealing himself. "There he is!" One of them points. "Get him!" Shouts the other.

Kankuro never taught him how to control his sand offensively, nor did they say much about defences. His new power is reacting in a way that is rustic and inexperienced. The two men hovered from the secure protection of trees, throwing daggers at him. He tries protecting himself with his frail arms. After moments of just being frozen in his weak defensive stance, he realized that nothing happened and so he opens his eyes. The sand shifts above him, constantly moving and the thousand kunais floating on the blob. Then the sand squirms and the needles disappeared.

The sand breaks down, to reveal something that he didn't want to see. At first he couldn't see them, then he feels a drip that fell on his forehead, he touches it.

The liquid is crimson red, almost loaming, still warm and fresh. **Blood.**

Gaara had a cut once, and he saw the same profuse red. That was a long time ago, back when he didn't have his sand. But it was a small cut. Just a hint of red was all he saw, before Sakura covered it and gave him a comforting kiss. It hurt, but just a little. What he sees now is a lot of blood. So thick..and dripping constantly above him. He looks up with hesitation. And let out a heartbreaking scream.

Immediately when the ones hunting him down heard his voice, they go towards his location. He couldn't cry, he is so startled that all he can do is shiver and stare. He killed two people..a soul..his first kill.. The kunais that they threw was redirected by his sand, piercing them in all directions. They look at him blankly, their eyes red and their tongues hanging out, as if they were about to say..Mercy.

He can hear footsteps and feel constant rampant movement, everything is so loud, and everything seems to move. He covers his ears by pressing his hand on his skull's side, trying to make it stop. Trying to forget the image from his head. "Run.." That word, that voice awakening him from his distress. Run. He didn't know what to do..and so he obeyed. He ran. He felt like he is in the thickest darkest place of the grounds, but no matter how far he is, the forest doesn't seem to get any lighter. After a while, the shock of seeing death is starting to dissipate.

He feels like he is floating in mid-air, and it is as if no matter how much he ran, he still stays on the same area. He stops, putting his shaking hands on his sides, making them into strained fists. Sweat lingers from his brow, his lungs and heart is working unsteadily His legs are shaking, new to the strenuous movement, his back cold from the trickling cold sensation from his spine. He can't stop. But he did. He stopped. Then he hears old branches of wood break. He looks around realizing he is not alone.

"Kazekage.." The men came out from the shadows, more than a hundred of them watching him. The moves back a few steps. "P-please..leave me alone.." He requests to the large group.

"I'm afraid we cannot do that.." One of them steps forward as soon as he saw Gaara's frightened face.

"Don't c-come near me.." The child continues to appeal. "Or what? What are yah gonna do about it, boy?" The man let out a wooden puppet, the jagged teeth grinning at Gaara menacingly. In an instant a thousand wooden beings risen from the darkness and loomed from where they are.

"Don't come near me.." The boy warns them yet again. Nevertheless, the wooden minions attack. "I said don't come near me!" He bends to his knees, hiding his face. Immediately the sand kills..And then silence. Gaara wakes from his shocked state, to witness and feel the ominous rain. The blood of many drizzling, pouring..crying.. The liquid shatters on his skin like mud; it feels heavier than water, thicker and more suffocating. He is drowning in it, the bodies so marred that no one could identify one from the other; And as these bodies fell around him from side to side, some so close that they actually touched his skin before falling to the ground.

He stands like stone. Letting the bodies consume him like messengers of death, he stands vulnerable in front of all the bloodied carcasses

Even for a little while, his emotions are numb, his senses so dulled; to the point that if anyone tried to kill him, they would leave a fatal blow. But without a word, he started to move, determined enough to get away from this trap. He digs his way out of the hill made from corpses, pushing away the bodies that are on top of him. He makes his way down from the steep mound, his feet making noises as he sinks them on the clumps of soft flesh. To his despair, his senses are regaining. He could hear organs and bones making ghastly sounds as he struggles to make his way on more stable ground.

He rests his unstable body by a tree, the calamity still reeking behind him. He can feel his sand moving around erratically beneath him, he puts arms up and see blood all over them. His body is drenched, stained by the deceased. Frantically, he wipes the sticky liquid out of his hands, but he couldn't get enough out so he could to cover his eyes without smearing his face. He starts to hyperventilate, so much so that he needs to calm his nerves immediately. He bends down and hugs his knees, firmly contorting himself to a curved position.

He doesn't care anymore if he is feeling the murky liquid all over him, doing his best not make his breathing any louder, he needs to calm down. He rests his head on his knee caps, and closes his eyes. But no matter how much he tries to visualize a All he sees is red, Bright red… Deep red.. All he can see is blood, even if he couldn't see beyond the comforts of dark isolation.

All he sees.. Is blood. He removes his bloodied hands from his already contorted vision, the sand covering him and moved gently all over. He watches as the sand goes to his hands..the sand came and left.. Leaving his hands clean. The sand is consuming the blood that is spilt all over him. But even though he is now free from the rustic smell, he can still feel it..he can still recognize the pungent order.

Everything.. Everywhere… Blood. He didn't care that a siren is shouting recklessly close by, or that fire is now stretching all over the forest.. He didn't bother to look around..to see if there are any survivors.. He didn't care anymore, he couldn't feel. And then one word..made a difference..**Run.** "Mom.." He said in a silent laboured voice, running and going through the weeds of the earth. **'Run..'** He repeats to himself mentally.

He struggles as he leaps to a tree, almost tripping as he balances himself. He looks around the horizon, and found what he saw. Salvation. He looks at the tower with great desperation. He didn't care that he is exposed to those who hunts him.. Even though he doesn't understand why he'd rather risk his life..he didn't care. All he cared now was getting there, where everything seems to matter.

Where everything makes sense.

"No way.." The men stared at the scene, and couldn't believe their eyes. As soon as they heard the cries of their comrades, they came as fast as they can. But it was too late. They see a boy trembling as he stood at a clearing. They confront him with hesitation, waiting for someone to take the first step. None of them are baring their weapons as they approach him cautiously.

"H-hey kid.." The anbu calls out to him hesitantly. Gaara didn't answer; he kept his indifferent gaze at the tower. "Oi.." The guy throws a rock at him, aiming for his head. But the sand disintegrates it before it even touches a single hair. The sand is now moving faster, more rapid and lethal after feeding from the sacrifice. They look at each other, a little taken aback, but they take out their weapons hesitantly anyway. "D-don't even bother to think of reaching that place!" The man who threw a stone at him said, attacking with fans slightly similar to those of Temari's. "You'll never get out of here alive!"

"Stay away from me!" The kazekage's commanding loud voice surprises them. "Just stay away!" He shouts, warning them hastily.

But they didn't listen, targeting the Kazekage while his head is bowing low. They attack him, and as they did, they couldn't help but wonder if opposing a murderous being was the right thing to do. But it was too late for them to have a second thought. They made their decision, and the boy has no choice. Thinking they had the upper hand since the boy could not see them from behind, they ran towards him with immense speed. Unfortunately their efforts are not enough. For a few seconds, they see his face turning towards them. They see his eyes, his terrifying eyes.

Eyes that are not filled with hope and determination, But pain and rage.

A whirl of sand enveloped them, making them blind and deaf. They desperately try to resist the pressure of the skin cutting wind, but could not even make move forward from their position. The sand is pushing them into one area, forcing them together to become on group. And like the grounds of which they have tortured the boy, they are force into a trap that they cannot break free. They stay in the enclosed snare made out of sand and wind, and as they did the wind started to form daggers of sand. Sharp weapons that cannot compare to their meagre dull metal aim at them in a high altitude.

In one swift blow of both gravity and power, the spears of sand pierce their skin and went through their bodies. Their attempts of getting out of the fury of the sand is futile, their screams cannot be heard from the distance. In mere minutes they all died, sprawled around in the ground, tossed over by the sand storm that Gaara inflicted on them. The sand and wind disperses, their bodies are marred and not retainable. Just before one of them gave their last breath, the man looks up at his killer with distaste. "You..Monster.." The dying man tells the boy with spite.** '**_**Monster..' **_The boy dangerously repeats mentally.

Gaara didn't understand what he said; he didn't know the meaning of the word. But he felt disgusted..filthy at himself.. Even though the sand cleaned his sin.. He feels like a monster. He is a monster. The tower is right in front of him. But he did not move an inch. He looks at the damage that he inflicted at ruins of people, so horrible that no one can stand such a sight. But this boy stares blankly at the nightmare of a landscape. And feels nothing. Nothing. Along with the thousands that he killed and devoured, something died inside of him. Something that he cannot regain on his own. His own humanity.

He started to walk, walk without any fear or fury. Walking away from the tower that was once his goal. Walking away from the bloodshed. He walks to an opposite direction, and leaves without a sound. He just walked this time..and walked..and walked. As if he was letting them find him purposely, as if he knew they wouldn't dare. He wasn't scared of them now..he was more scared at himself. And even the quiet sound of humming crickets seem loud, even the most little stream. They seem to murmur the same thing.."Monster."

He cannot hear that voice now..that soft comforting voice. Not even recalling the words that was said..that kept him going. Only one word that made him surrender.. His tears are all dried up now; it was like he never cried. And though he should, so that he may grieve. He couldn't anymore. He doesn't want to go forward..nor did he want to go back..he doesn't want deliverance.. All he wants is darkness. Where everything is cold and everything is none. Where nothing stares and nothing lives, and nothing but himself. His own self that kills, with not a sense of conscience.

What right does he have? Does he have any right left? To be alive at all? He wants darkness, he wants isolation, and he wants silence. He wants be away.. From everything he cared about.

To be gone forever...to be…**Dead.**

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**Gaara's Age:** **Six years old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **Two Months, 2 weeks and 3 days**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	9. His first Scar

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His ****First Scar"**

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**Gaara's Age: ** **Unknown**

**Time since redevelopment: 3 Months**

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**SUNA: Suna Grounds **/**Target Tower**/**Monday**/**5:00 AM**

It is dawn. The sun creeps faintly from the horizon, struggling to keep itself up. She cringes as she feels the coolness of the day, the dimness of the wide airy room. But what she hated more was the painful rays of light piercing from her closed eyes, in irritation she opens them and faces the reality. Another day has ended. And another day begins. She stands from her sprawled out condition, taking the attention of the other two who were also waiting patiently. "It's been three days.." That was probably the first few words she said in days, since Gaara was thrown in the wilderness. "Three..fucking..days.."

They have been fighting over what forces that has been keeping them from taking Gaara away from this dreadful place for 48 hours. But when they confronted the council, they were given the same non-compromising result. Sakura was not too surprised when it comes to the old geezers' hard headedness. But when she asked of Tsunade-sama's instructions to such consequences; she was ordered to restrain from doing anything unnecessary, to respect the decision of the sand village. "He is their Kazekage..after all.." She murmurs.

A mere medic kunoichi such as her has no right to meddle with the business of a village she is not inclined with, especially to that of the status of their leader. _**'Not a right at all, even much or less as a mother.'**_ She bites her trembling lip and combs through her hair. "Then..what right do I have?" She looks at the Anbu examiner in the eye, her face drenched in dry tears and her own eyes red and puffy and still possibly welled up.

"Sakura..calm down.." Kankuro tries to console her, he has been doing this a lot and so he said it in a way that was weak and tired, tired of procrastinating his own hatred.

"No..I can't take it anymore..this is..this is just insane.." She chucks the Anbu by the collar and shakes him. "Are all of you idiots? It's been three whole days and you guys can't even get any information on what the fuck is happening in that damn place?" Sakura is losing all her manners that she built up for months, turning back to her rough uncontrollable visage.

"I-I'm sorry ma'am, but until someone gets out of the forest we can't afford to let some more people go over there.." The Sand Anbu tries to explain without aggravating the woman.

"How many times do I have to tell you people..I can go there myself!" She answers, completely aggravated.

"I-I'm sorry, Miss Haruno..but.." The poor man is interrupted, the kunoichi not wanting another word from him.

"I'm sorry..._**I'm sorry**_?" She has been hearing those words for so many times already, even from that of her mouth. And she is getting sick and tired of it.

"Don't you dare.." She begins, picking the Anbu with her bare hands. **Sick and tired of it all.** The anbu shouts for help, as the destructive woman brings him up high and was about to slam him to a wall. "Screw with me!"

"Sakura!" Kankuro shouts in intense anger, it was like he was having a headache, but his headache wouldn't go away. He scratches his irritated head. "That is the sixth Anbu you will be putting to the hospital, just wait a bit okay? I saw a falcon signal a short while ago, so some news will be coming soon." Sakura with trembling hands drops the man down, and calmly pummels a wall to dust.

"Sakura, it's already cold as it is. I can feel the wind in every direction.." Kankuro adds to attempt her sympathy.

"I don't care! Gaara is somewhere out there, and he's probably somewhere shivering alone!" Haruno protests.

Temari shakes her head at her brother, telling him that he shouldn't have said something that would make Sakura's attitude any worse. "He's out there..all alone.." Sakura says, tightening her fist, she bruised her hands in a way that would seem manageable, but for a medic herself they shouldn't be here. Her eyes are bloodshot from the sleepless nights of quiet grieving, hoping that there is still hope; regretting that she ever let go of Gaara. Ever since that day, her heart could not make herself rest from worry. They suggested that she would go home, but like Kankuro and Temari they decided that they would rather stay on the tower and wait.

**'Damn.'** Kankuro has waited as long as he could in a way that was not worrisome, but he knew what he said to that boy. He knew his limits. Gaara is supposed to be here way before they even arrived...the old Gaara that is. He never assumed that it would even be possible with his brother in such a state, but how he wished that it would be possible. It was better than waiting for something horrible to happen. A miracle was better to think through such an extent. But until now, that miracle did not happen.

Temari have been ordering many others, trying to get anything out of the gorge of desperation, but everything seems fruitless. She could only watch like all of them would, and ignore all of their responsibilities as elite of Suna. They had to be elsewhere, doing their professions as ethically as they should. But the decided to ditch it all and stay rebellious for a child who is currently lost to them. And who wouldn't? It's like anybody else cared of Gaara's wellness before. And they're sure as hell that they would not care for the Kazekage's wellness now.

"There!" Kankuro runs, and gave the hovering falcon his arm, hastily taking the small scroll from its leg. The girls run towards him, and waited for the hooded guy to read through the message.

"Well? What did it say?" The blonde asks his brother impatiently. Kankuro's hands started to tremble, his eyes looking rather dazed and infuriated. Temari grabs the paper from him, and reads.

"I can't believe this.." He expresses with disbelief. "What?" Sakura asks.

"No one..has gotten out of the place for the past three days.." He states ominously. The three stood there for a while, taking in the message.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Temari said silently.

"That means it's either they are fucking us off..or all of them are dead.." Kankuro explains patiently.

"No.." Sakura whispers. Without a word the pink haired kunoichi steps away and walks to the direction of the exit, taking her belt pack and getting her gloves from their compartment.

"Sakura, where are you going?" The general asks. "Isn't it obvious? I'm going in there, this is as far as my patience could get." Haruno replies.

"But The Assembly, The council.." Kankuro mentions rationally. "I don't care!" "Sakura, Tsunade-sama said-" Temari is cut off before she could finish.

"That old hag has no idea what I am going through!" The Konoha medic replies.

Temari was about to stop her, but Kankuro raises his hand. "Wait.." He opens his resolved eyes.

"I'm coming too." He finally decides. His sister smiles. Hearing this, the Anbu tries to restrain them from making another move.

"General, none of you should-" The blond girl interrupts the man by punching the anbu on the face.

"Then what are we waiting for?" The prime minister complains. What Sakura said was right. None of them, not the council or the village.. No one can understand what they are going through.

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds/**Exact Location: Unknown**

**Silence.** That is a word that would explain where the Kazekage really is in. **Darkness.** Is another. But alone, would probably be the most resolute way of describing his place. Because he is, **Alone.** He stares straight at the blank pitch of blank. Rocking him steadily, jumping at any sound that would come. Any sound, from his head. "Monster..Monster.." The word said in a million different voices haunts him. That word.. Why does it hurt him so? When he does not even know the meaning?

But in his heart he knew, somehow, without even recalling. It didn't help that he is stuck in a place so dormant, that he could smell the rustic stench. It didn't keep him from looking at his hands frequently, he could see the blood, and he knows he's drenched of the red stain of liquid. **The blood of thousands.** He was suffocating at his own fear, that he was numbing himself in the process. But he didn't care; he didn't bother to get himself out of there. He'd rather stay in this nightmare than face whatever is waiting for him. What is waiting for him? He does not even remember. All he wants to do is disappear.

All curled up in this isolated place, not able to see anyone, and barely seeing his own self. It's best to be consumed by the demons plaguing him..anywhere as long as it is not out there. Where everything will make sense. "Why..why can't I...just die already?" Such big words for a small kid like himself. "Why can't I... just die?" He asks to no one but his own existence.

**His voice is so small broken and quiet, his voice so vulnerable and helpless.**

**.**

* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/Jounin Level**/**Stage 6**/**7:00 AM**

The earth is still, until it is weighed by the familiar footing of man. They walk in a drastic manner, actually shaking the soil and the water that rests on the floor. Temari flew while the other two took the trail by foot. And so the earth now shook, while the air is woven into needles of pressured wind. Kankuro combed through the wilderness, his puppets cutting off the choking weeds of the land. Sakura leaped from tree to tree. The three looked through with rampant eyes, seeing the blood and the numerous bodies along the way.

"What the hell has been going on in here?" Kankuro stood, the other two behind him now, gaping at the violence that echoed everywhere.

"Oh my god..." Temari expresses, in shock at what she is seeing. They have gone through a lot of battlefields, nothing like this, nothing that a mere child should witness.

Kankuro's eyes cringes at every ninja he recognizes. "Fools..." He sighs, closing one of the people's dead open eyes. The fog is thick, they have no idea just how many died, but the death is so heavy that what they have been stepping on is not only roots and rocks. He and Temari walked around, looking at the destruction. "Sakura?" He notices her, stopping at one spot, bent down in a way that she was looking over something.

"Kankuro.." Haruno shows him a torn piece of cloth, staining colours that are dull and familiar. It is a piece of Gaara's shirt, splattered with the colour constantly shown upon them. "We have to find him..have to.." Sakura holds on to the piece of cloth tightly, looking in a way that was distant.

"Sakura, we will..somehow.." He could only reassure.

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* * *

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**A place of despair: **

The boy finds a rock from wavering around the darkness. Why this terrible smell of rust and salt haunts him so, he does not want to know. But the voices just keep going and going, he tried closing his ears, but he could still hear them. **So he started to remember, everything.** "Stop...stop.." All he could remember is the faces that he has killed, faces that he does not recognize and faces that he came to know. **Blood... blood everywhere.** How long will it take for these voices to go away? He started to scratch his head again, his fingers clawing through his irritant skin. "Stop..."

Everything did not make sense; everything just seems dull and persistently different. But then he started to remember further, further from that of blurred out beings, further from that of which he has recently indulged into killing. His real memories, his murderous past. Annoyed that his fingers do not seem to reach the part that was bothering him, he uses the rock to ease his slightly bruised skin. So itchy...so irritant..so very very painful. His nightmares. "_Gaara..."_ His eyes widen, that voice silenced the thousand screaming voices from his head.

That voice..who's voice was it? "_Gaara-sama.."_ He closes his eyes tightly, but he could still see light. The painful stinging light that is so radiant that he would not know the difference of his dreary position to that of the outside. It looks so vibrant. It looks so real. And out of that burst of light came an image, a person, someone he knew... Someone he thought he knew. _A tall man with short hazel brown hair and kind forest green eyes, he smiles at him sweetly and looms above him._ "_Hello..Gaara-sama.."_

"U-uncle?..." The boy asks, unsure of what he is seeing. Is that really the man that he killed those many years ago? How does he knows this? His mind is confusing himself, and yet whatever he is looking at does not look like a mirage. "_Oh..you still remember me?"_ _The ghost walks closer to him now, and like a shadow he becomes smaller and concrete to a form he knew vaguely._ "_Of course you do..I am the first person you killed after all...right? Gaara-sama..."_ _The image of his past, changes and forms to a state he never wanted to recall.._ _He lies plastered on the wet pallor wall, holes all over him, liquid running to the end of the bricks that he sits on. _

_His eyes looking as dead as they are but still looking at him, watching him with that same grin on his face. _ _Taunting him...killing him..._

He screams.

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/Jounin Level**/**Final Stage**/**8:00 AM**

"Did you hear that?" Sakura asks, after listening to a faint sound.

"Hear what?" Temari asks, jumping over a ledge to her huge fan, the three followed. Haruno hears it again. "That." The pink haired kunoichi points out. "What is it Sakura?" Kankuro asks.

"I don't know...It's sort of fuzzy...like an animal crying.." The Konoha med-nin describes. The other two tried to listen more, by lessening their scuffling movement. But nothing. Sakura's ears seem to be more sensitive than usual, her pupils constrict, when she hears that one last desperate cry. For help. "I..I hear him..." She covers her mouth, tears falling, she couldn't help herself. She knew that sound too well, that sound that she hears every time he wakes up in the middle of the night from a nightmare. She looks at them with complete confirmation. "That voice... It's Gaara..." She turns to the direction of the Sanin level entrance nearby.

Kankuro and Temari look at her with fear. "No..No..It can't be..Sakura you're wrong..Anything but there!" The blonde reacts from the kunoichi's assumption with despair.

"I heard him! I heard his voice!" Sakura insists, pressing the cloth they found, firmly on her chest. Her heart is pounding like crazy, an instinct that she cannot ignore. "He's in there..I can feel it.." She tells them with confidence.

Kankuro breaks from his absentminded state, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Sakura..if he's in that area that you are telling us..Then he..he went through.." The man gulps, his throat burning from the mere thought of it. "I-I don't recall them stating that the Sanin area will also be open in this friggin hell that Gaara went through! Dammit! What the hell happened?" The General started to pace back and forth, cussing at such an ill becoming. Temari who is shaking hits the end if her huge metal fan on the earth, preventing her from collapsing from knowing such a reality.

"What..What is it? What's going on?" Sakura asks them with a growing panic that is far from what they were experiencing. "The Sanin Level..The Sanin level of Suna.." Kankuro composes himself and rests his hand on her trembling shoulders. "If Gaara went there..We have a slim chance of finding Gaara alive." He explains.

"Wha..what do you mean?" Haruno asks.

"The opponents that are thrown in that area of this hellish pit..are highly dangerous convicted criminals." Temari answers for her brother.

"W-what?" Sakura brings her hand in her mouth, knowing that she did heard right.

"The backwash of Suna..Ex-Anbu's..Murderers..Assassins..You name it." The general adds to his sister's explanation.

"So Gaara..He.." Sakura says, without finishing. Kankuro nods.

"All who are sentenced to execution are sent in the Sanin level to be used as pawns for this twisted game." He tells her. The three of them look at the entrance to the final level of the grounds with anguish.

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* * *

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**A place of despair: **

"_You killed me Gaara-sama. Are you happy now? Are you?"_ _The slaughtered man says stiffly._

"S-stay away from me!" The red head tries to get away, but he was just kicking on his own sand.

"_YOU want to stay away from ME? Hah!" The ghost of the past replies._ Gaara closes his eyes tightly, covering his ears, but he could see the rotting man beyond his eyelids and the sifting rasp of a voice echoing louder than what the cave could actually resound into. "_You have some nerve to try to run away. I'm your uncle remember? Your own blood..no.."_ _The dark being laughs._ "_Your mother's blood."_

The boy stiffens realizing, finding what it said was true, not knowing what that thing is turning into. But for some reason, he is terrified, more terrified than he was moments ago.

"_Gaara..."_ _A voice asks for him, taunting him, a gentle womanly voice._ "Who..who are you?.." He never heard such a defiant voice, but it was sort of comforting, and also out of place. This form, this appearance seems familiar, like he has seen it before..from a page..from a picture. He does not know..he does not recall. _She comes closer and closer, he could feel he breath as it motions at one side of him._ "_Everyone hates you..nobody wants you around..nobody.."_ _It whispers, a beautiful defiant smile plays on its cold lips._ _Those words echo so loud, louder than a bell, louder than the shouts of furious men from the outside._

Those broken grinning lips said, repeating the words over and over again without a sound. "_No one..Wants you to live.." _

_._

* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/Sanin Level**/**Final Stage**/**10:00 AM**

They ride quietly without a sound, hovering over a dismal sight. Words cannot describe what lies below. The Sanin level of the Suna grounds is obliterated. Bodies..Bodies everyhwere. Bodies that were supposedly capable of skinning weaklings alive. They try to look away, but they couldn't. Their necks are numb, and their spine is low. Hoping that somehow, not a red strand of hair is attached to any of those motionless heads, who are awaiting the crows to feed on their sinful flesh. "Over there!" Temari spots men surrounding one corner of a mountain range. The three hop out of the large fan and ran towards the scene.

"What the heck are they doing?" The blonde says, observing them from afar.

"I don't know..but they're just standing there.." Kankuro responds squinting his eyes, trying to get a better look.

"But..why?" Sakura picks up the pace, moving forward from the two. "They're not just standing; it's as if...they're restraining something." She describes with a tremor.

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* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/The Cave of Entrapment: **

"No..you're wrong.." He tells himself, but even his own voice defies him. "There must be anyone..someone.." Gaara desperately defends.

"_Hahaha..foolish human..nobody.."_ _The man forms to globs of mud, and then reforms himself to a hideous looking monster._

_The Shukaku._

"_Nobody loves you." The beast proclaims._

_Everything went silent for a moment._ _And then, the deafening sound of the loss of sanity._

_._

* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/In front of The Cave's closed entrance:**

This time, after that one loud heart-breaking scream, there was nothing. She could hear nothing. "Gaara!" She shouts absurdly, she knows he could not hear her. But that one sound, made her realize, that there is no turning back to what lies ahead. No turning back, not even in death.

"What's going on in here?" Kankuro shouts at one of the men who seem to be having a hard time.

"General, we are trying to restrain the Kazekage on that caved tavern." One of the Sand Nin answers.

"What? Have you lost your minds? Release him immediately!" Temari scolds the disgruntled person.

"We are sorry, but we are liable of the after effects of the situation!" An Anbu answers for the group.

"How dare you, to raise your voice at me!" The blonde states, as she raises the fan towards the person. "Release the Kazekage immediately!" She commands.

"No! We have to seal this monster before it tears us apart!" Another of them answers.

"If all of you value your positions as Jounin, you better stop right now!" The general threatens.

"Right now, we value our lives!" One of the members shouts at their higher official.

"You guys are idiots!" The hooded man replies, frustrated at his own people.

"You don't understand..." Sakura watches all of them ominously as they struggled from the situation. "Gaara is afraid of the dark." Haruno warns, knowing of such a fact.

Kankuro shivers, having recalled the one thing that Gaara fears the most when he was a child. "If we keep him in there..There's no telling what will happen.." He says, looking at the child's entrapment with anxiousness.

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* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/The Cave of Entrapment:**

Scratch..scratch...scratch. What is there to live on for? He does not know. He drowns himself at the noise of thudding rock, everything is shaking, and everything is moving.

"There has to.." There is nothing that does not change and nothing to take hold of around him. His lips quivered. "There has to be..." He closes his eyes tight, closing his ears but the noise wouldn't stop. He questions himself, why wouldn't the noises stop? The loud banging..the words. He could not comprehend the shrieking of the blood, nor can he recall the desperate attempts of shouting. He can only focus on the hateful words that whisper unto his ears. All he knows now is that he is a murderer. A monstrous murderer.

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* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/In front of The Cave's closed entrance:**

"Gaara! Gaara!" Temari pounds the huge boulders, straining her voice. "It's no use, the rocks are too thick!" She shouts, trying in vain to pry the cave open with her fan.

"Hurry up and break the seal!" Kankuro shouts at the anbu who are trying their best. To take back a horrible mistake.

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* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/The Cave of Entrapment:**

**Silence.** Silence is maddening him from the inside. Then footsteps, soft footsteps. He didn't bother to look up to the looming person in front of him, he didn't want to. This time, he knew who it was..this time..he didn't dare ask who it was. Though the voice was incongruent to him, her features tell it all. It is everything he sought she would've been, what he dreamed and what he feared. **He knew everything and nothing.** "P-please.." **Of himself.** He asks himself with a small weak voice. **Of his uncle.** "Please.." **Of her.** He tries even more desperately, begging himself. **This time he knows.**

"Don't.." He shakes in terror. **If he could take it all back he could..but he can't.** "Not her...anything but her.." He could only whimper, grovelling to the Shukaku. **He knows whose unfamiliar voice it was.** The monster grins. "_Gaara.."_ **This new voice seem distant but alive, gentle but uncaring..** **Motherly..but hollow...** "_Gaara.." The woman calls out to him._ "_N-no..." The boy responds, shaking his head slowly._ "_My son.." The voice continues to haunt him. _**It's back.** "_No..No..No.." The boy denies._ "_It's me.." She tells him with an unbearable tone._ **It's coming.** _He hesitantly looks up, the creature smiles at him._ In an instant, reality fades from his eyes.

The face..that face he knew too well..from his dreams..from his nightmares. "It's mother..." She tells him with an evil frightening grin. **Nothing can stop it now. ** **Nothing.**

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* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/In front of The Cave's closed entrance:**

"It won't budge!" Kankuro shouts, trying to pry the rocks loose.

"Stay back!" The pink haired kunoichi demands, pulling her fingerless gloves so as to tighten on her hands. Everyone clears out as they were told, not wanting to make the problem worse. Sakura stands from afar, going for her stance. She runs and aims for the boulders, breaking each of them into pieces. "Gaara!" The woman shouts as she hits the stone with her fists.

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* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/The Cave of Entrapment:**

"Stay away...Stay away from me.." Gaara tells the images surfacing from his thoughts, the mirage taunting in front of him, the awful noises that mutters from everywhere. "Stay away!" He shouts at nothing, confused at whoever he is shouting to. He hugs his torso, shifting back and forth, back and forth. "My head, it hurts, it itches.." He states. The boy knows he is drenched in blood, no matter how many times he washed himself from the river, he can still see it, smell it..taste it. Even if he is in the darkest place he could find, he is stained with the red liquid. "I..I killed them..I killed them all..." He says, accepting his own notion.

Scratch..Scratch..Scratch...

He started to scratch his head unconsciously. "All of them..it's all my fault.." He blames himself. "So loud.." He scratches at that one spot that irritates him the most. "So noisy.." He expresses with irritation.

Claw..Claw..Claw..

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* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/In front of The Cave's closed entrance:**

'_**Gaara..the first time I saw you..'**_ After a while working on the terrain wall, the continuous battering of her hands on the stones started to show.

"Sakura..your hands.." Temari points out with great concern.

She didn't care, she just keeps on going. '_**The first time I saw your little face..'**_

Kankuro and everyone else couldn't make themselves stop her, even for a moment to think things through.

'_**and held your small hand..I knew that I want to protect you, that I have to..'**_

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* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/The Cave of Entrapment:**

"Gaara..." The ghostly woman laughs lightly. "Look at me..Gaara...Look at what you have done.." She says, showing her rotting body. His eyes stare blankly at the distance.

"To all of us.." The people who haunt him increase into thousands. Men, women, children. They all stare at him with barren eyes, looking at him with hate and thirst for vengeance.

"Murderer..Murderer..Murderer..Murderer..Murderer..Murderer..Murderer..Murderer.." The corpses mutter to the boy..over and over again.

His hands continue on with its solemn twitching of his skin.

Scrape. Scrape. Scrape.

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* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/In front of The Cave's closed entrance:**

Her hands are already bleeding, her body moving uncontrollably; it was her instinct to abuse her strength. '_**I wanted to protect you from anything that was bad.. anything that would make you hurt..'**_

They knew they couldn't stop her.

'_**Nothing matters to me anymore...All I care about is you..'**_ She adjusts her footing and finds an opening. _**'So please..'**_ She puts her bloody hand on the surface, one last punch..one last fist should do it. '_**Please be okay..'**_ She tightens her hold on her fist, turning her knuckles white. '**Gaara!'**

And then..Darkness.

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* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds**/The Cave of Entrapment**/**10:30 AM**

The three went inside as soon as there was an entrance, coughing as they peered into the shadows.

"We better find Gaara and get out of here as soon as we can, this place won't be holding on for long." Kankuro said as he covers his nose and mouth. Temari with a gentle swish of her fan, made everything settle.

"Sakura, find anything?..Sakura?" She turns her head to where she could find her. Sakura just stood on one side of the area, as if she was waiting for something.

"Sakura, you found him?" The blonde and the hooded guy took the utter silence as a response; they make their way to her. "Oh no.."

They find the boy in one corner, with his back and a large slightly chi transparent tail showing. "The Shukaku.." They haven't seen the form of the sand being for so long, it took their attention momentarily.

"Temari! Tell the jounins out there to come and help us handle-" Kankuro sees a flash of pink move from his side, forward towards the becoming of a disaster. "Sa-Sakura! No! Don't go near him!" He warns, to no avail. Sakura is now mere inches from the boy glowing with hues of fire, ember flowing out. "What are we going to do?" Temari asks, forgetting the order of her brother. "I-I don't know. The Shukaku is unpredictable. We can't leave her, and I don't think I can handle him alone." The General answers. Sakura with her extended hand reaches for Gaara. "Damn!" Kankuro curses. They could only watch and wait for the consequences to undergo.

Sakura's nose crinkled, she could smell the stench of dried blood and rotting flesh. The red haired boy could be barely recognized, as the stain like that of red wood cling to him like an accessory. His clothes are fumed rags, and he stoops barefooted. His locks are messed up and sticking out in various directions, driven and twisted. His skin, she could hardly make out, dirt and grime as well as the intolerant colour of blood covers it. Sakura was having a hard time to breathe as she took it all in- Gaara her baby boy is filled with cuts and bruises, cold, uncared for and vulnerable is in such a state.

What could only stop her from acting out of precaution is that she found him alive. "G-gaara.." She calls out to the child. The creature shivering uncontrollably stops. He turns his face slightly, but not enough for the woman to see his own face. "Who's there?.." He asks in an inhumane voice, the voice of the beast trembles with that of the child. "It's me.." Sakura tries to reply gently without putting a worrisome voice. "You don't... You don't remember me?" She asks. The boy didn't answer, only to continue on with his constant scratching of his head. "Gaara..." She beckons. His scratching becomes slow and somewhat grudging.

"Gaara, it's Mommy..." She bites her lip. "I'm your mother.." Haruno tells him. His soundless movement stops. She bends on one knee and offers her arms. "Gaara..let's go home.." Sakura said those words, knowing that she wanted it so bad. For them to just leave this place and forget that all of this has ever happened.

"That's a lie.." The being replies in a quiet voice.

"What?.." She asks with a levelled voice. Her arms, she tries to keep them steady. But they are so weak from pounding stone continuously; she was having a hard time to keep them up.

"What is?.." Haruno questions. Kankuro and Temari ready themselves, holding on to their weapons.

"You're lying..You're not my mother." The boy tells them in a voice that they could barely register. For a second, they did not even consider it to be his voice. The two siblings glance at each other.

"How did he know..we never told him.." Temari asks silently. "It looks like Gaara has his memories back... This is not good..." Kankuro looks at the two cautiously.

"O-of course I am..." Sakura answering what she thinks is reasonable.

"No you're not!" He shouts at her, throws=ing the edged stone that he held grudgingly to the wall that he shuns with, making the cavern thunder even more. The beast swishes its tail angrily and growls, warning her.

"You look tired Gaara...You need some rest." Sakura touches him on the shoulder, he nudges off her hand.

"Don't touch me!" He commands. She didn't know why, but she did as she was told. He never acted towards her like this before, she wasn't used to it.

The kunoichi has been taking care of him for such a long time that, his actions are unnatural to her. Even hurting. "Gaara..Why would I lie to you?"

"I know.." He stands weakly, quite cripplingly. "I know you're not my mother.." He turns around and confronts them. "Because..." He raises his head and shows his face. They look back at him in terror, their most fearful thought of conclusion staring at them face to face. His eyes are dead; it was a miracle that he stood with that kind of body. He has cuts and bruises everywhere, his right arm is swollen and his left leg looks broken. **Blood. ** **Blood Everywhere.** But what stood out most is his face, dripping fresh blood, oozing out at a self-inflected wound.

"I killed her." He grins, letting the red liquid sink between his teeth. His forehead in one side is etched with one word.

"The Kanji.." Temari whispers.

**Love.**

"Why..why.." Kankuro turns to his sister, staring at the boy in the verge of tears.

"Temari.." He watches her sister crumble before him. For once they thought they were going somewhere.

**For once, they thought that they could actually fix the past. ** **That they had a chance.**

"Why is this happening all over again?.." The blonde with blue bloodshot eyes sobs.

**But this time, they can honestly say..**

"Gaara.." Kankuro mournfully calls out to his brother.

**That nothing can be brought back and that..**

"You?..My Mother?..Hahaha.." He laughs with profanity in his voice, a distinct shrill cry of helplessness and disaster. "My mother is dead." Watching them with his dull green eyes, and uncontrollably dwindled some more on his sacred hateful word. "She's dead." He scratches his growing scar possessively, spelling out a character that he can never acquire. The kanji known as Love. Of which he never had, not until this day arrived. This horrible traumatizing day. Tattooed into his skull forever.

**That which is permanent cannot change.**

**.**

* * *

**. **

**Gaara's Age: ** **Unknown**

**Time since redevelopment: 3 Months**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	10. His first fear

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His First fear"**

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* * *

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**Gaara's Age: Unknown**

**Time since redevelopment: 3 Months**

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**SUNA: Monday/Suna Grounds/An Entrapment of Darkness **/**10:30 AM**

Amidst in a cold solitary place, with but little light. Such small affinities could not withstand the suffocating depth of nothing. So cold are the walls that when touched, would sting the slightest skin and pierce whatever warmth is left. The ground is lifeless. Nothing resides in it, callous and dry. The air is crisp and filtered. This place. This horrible place. Could only spell, Defiance.

For in it, one lives; one that of which is compelled, by the continuous change of his surroundings. The uttermost bright and extensively colourful lights that can even change shapes and turn to mirages, images that would make any man lose thoughts. Speckled creatures and fairies, demons that speak to him, those who taunt him and aggravate. This cell. A prison of solitude that he clings into, desperate for the defensive cold. Anything, anything at all. Away from the hell that he knows. The soil which he clings, he tightens his fist. Something that is certain, something he can feel.

What he feels are but daggers, thousands of them. But the poison that he breathes is the most painful of all. For it reminds him. Painstakingly. Of his own existence, In this horrible world. This horrible place.

His own, **Defiance.**

**.**

"Gaara?" She calls out carefully. He opens his eyes. She looks so out of place, in this twisted dimension he lives in. Whatever is inside him seems to react wildly and yet patiently, as if it is restraining his own self. From killing this person who gazes at him in return with eyes he cannot describe. Someone who with such a face can diminish the tortured anguished souls that haunts him. He sees her features that are so detailed with sympathy and not remorse, to the point that his little safe insane position is broken into pieces. And reality, painful reality sets in.

"_**You are not Mother..."**_ His stringent voice seems to echo as she recalls repeatedly in their moments of tension. It is consequential, she knows that. It is never her right to do so, never her responsibility in the first place. Sakura has never thought she will hear such words towards her. Nor does she realize that such a sentence will actually hurt her. Then again, she has never thought she would have come to this. Not this soon. Perhaps the reason why his words actually affect her is because it is his own. Anyone could say that to her, but she wouldn't mind.

She wouldn't care. "Gaara, I—" She starts to plea with a small voice. "I... I..." This outlook affects her so, that she can't even reply.

'_**W**__**hat am I...? What am I trying to say?'**_She cannot reply to such words that she knows are has no right... no right at all.

"What's taking Sakura so long to answer? Why is she resisting?" The hooded guy asks his sister.

"Gaara just told her something horrible." Temari who is fighting her tears answers with understanding, looking helplessly at her brother's condition. "Something a child should not say to his mother."

They keep their distance, to be cautious. If Gaara is reacting in such a way with distaste to the pink kunoichi, there is no telling what the boy would do when he finds his two siblings before them.

"It's best we act only if she needs us." Kankuro warns.

"How can we be sure that he got his memories back?" Temari asks.

"That's just it, as far as we know, Gaara only knows one detail." Kankuro answers.

"But if we—" The prime minister is interrupted by her brother.

"Temari, you can see for yourself right?" Her brother interrupts. The blue-eyed blonde looks back at his little brother, her anxious eyes now turning into a pained and bitter look.

"Gaara only remembers...portions of who he was." She answers slowly.

"That's right." Kankuro brings his attention back to the scene. His little brother, though smothered with blood and dirt, is still recognizable and ominously familiar. "He remembers how..." By the way he looks at the woman in front of her, alarmed and yet confused. "He remembers why..." By the way he held on his bloody head and indifferently touches his newly made wound. "But not who he really is...not entirely."

'_**Not the way he sees himself after everything he has been through, not the way we see him now...'**_

"Sakura..." Kankuro can actually see her shivering from the distance.

'**To Gaara…So far her existence…**_**S**__**akura's existence is nothing to him.'**_

"No.." Kankuro murmurs. He closes his gaped mouth and looks at the situation with determined eyes.

**We have to... we have to make him remember.** He stands and starts to walk towards them. **We have to try.**

"Kankuro! What are you doing?" Temari asks her brother with concern.

**He probably won't remember the changes he has gone through to be the guy I know.** He starts to recall, the time they were together watching over the village and the view of the orange tinged sky with the radiating sunset lining before him. That memory when he told him of his dreams, of his future. With a smile he never thought he would be able to see again. **But.** Gaara smiled again, even more than he could ever thought he would see in his life. He asked for help, he talked to him because he wanted to; he held his hand and gave him a hug. And his smile was a lot bigger, a lot happier.

He misses those days even more. Pictures of recent profound memories, of every possible detail he could have lived his life differently. The way he lived his life these past few weeks, at present... At this time. **With her...** They wouldn't have such profound memories without her, this girl that literally changed their way of living. _**'**__**He could remember... the other life he now had…' **_If it wasn't for her, the same person who is now driven with despair before him.**What he now has…** They could never have gone this far with their little brother without her.

**This life...** He brings his hand to rest at her trembling shoulder.

"Sakura..." Kankuro calls out to the pink haired medic. She turns her head, showing him a face same as his sister's, but even more to the extent he could not describe. "**You are... His life." **Kankuro states quietly.

"W… what?" The girl asks the young man, feeling confused and disdained. Unable to clearly hear what he just told her.

"You are his life, Sakura. Make him remember his life." The purple inked face guy tells her now with more confidence and an assured voice. And with that she knows, what she had to say.

"Make him remember, who you are." He concludes for her.

.

* * *

.

_**In the Realm of Unconsciousness**_/_**The Shukaku's Abode**_/_**Time: Infinite**_

_At the abyss._ _Everything is white._ _There is no beginning, nor there an end._ _There is only infinity, to the clear endless sky of blankness._ _He stands at calm slow rippling water._ _He looks at what he has left behind like a picture, watching their faces with but empathy._ _Even empathy is too strong a word to describe his expression._ _From the finest hair, to his skin, he wears no colour but black or white._ _Even his eyes are grey, with not an emotion._ _But slight disturbance and loneliness._ _Separate from the real world and only to watch as the time passes._ _Watching, only watching._ _Awaiting the disaster._

_He is now losing his own awareness._ _His own grave existence now trapped in his mind._ _He stands stiffly, his hands closed and his face unwavering._ _**The Shukaku awakens.**_

_"Ahh… let's see… let's see…"_ _The ancient one tailed beast creature stretches its limbs and shaking momentarily like an animal that came out of water, waking itself from its long slumber._ _"This vessel kept me out for so long, my muscles are actually cramping!"_ _He opens his one great large eye, his pupils constrict, alarmed to find someone with him._ _"What? You're still here?"_ _The being appears in front of him in an instant and looks at him intently._ _The animal grins, showing his sharp teeth in thousands._ _"Ohh… you are only half-asleep… Sleep walking if you will…"_

_It shifts half of its body into a smoke fog like state, and surrounds him playfully with its tail._

_"It has been a long time, boy, what took you so long? I was sleeping for years and here I find you selfishly present with me!"_ _The demon roars, its voice thundering the place of solitude to the point that the water shakes like a rampant sea._ _But the boy's shell like impression kept his composure, not affected by the animal's temper._ _The Shukaku stops, and circles him like he is prey._

_"I'd like to eat you, but if I did, I would just be killing myself."_ _He does not reply, his incomprehensible attention only to the waters that reveals him the other side._ _The huge being peers down as well, curious to whatever keeps the child at his wake._ _"Hmm... I see… They are very tasty morsels, aren't they?"_ _It points out, smiling its dreaded smile and drooling in malice._ _No answer._ _"Bah, you are as cold as always. I thought a while of no man slaughter would actually make you soft. But you are the same as before."_ _No answer._ _"How boring, it's so boring out there that I don't mind going back to sleep."_

_The giant blows incredulously only to make the boy's tuft of hair to move slightly._ _Emotionless._ _It yawns, and sighs._ _"Hey boy, what is keeping you here? I cannot go on a rampage with both of us in your head. Hurry up and runaway already, so I can kill and devour your comrades."_ _And then, movement._ _The boy's perplexed eyes moved, following a certain someone._ _The beast follows suit, and spots a young woman with pink hair, watching them intently with eyes filled with concern instead of fear._ _Wait, there is fear._ _But it is not the fear that Shukaku wanted, not the fear that it is accustomed to._

_It is the fear for someone's being._ _**The fear.**_ _The beast looks at the boy with curiosity and intent._ _**The fear of life being taken away.**_

_"Interesting."_ _The monster pounces to the other side of the puddle image to look at him closely._ _"This girl is what is keeping you sane and thus you trespass my property?"_ _The large daunting eyes watch the kunoichi with savage remorse._ _He looks back at the boy, who is now looking at the woman with wistful looking eyes._ _The Shukaku, discovering this, gives a look of awe and starts to laugh._ _The laugh becomes louder and much intense as he starts to realize the defining moment of demise._ _"How delicious! You did change after all! You are actually showing a tiny bit of emotion!"_

_The beast stands before him now, looking at him with the intent to kill._ _"You are showing weakness. If you will not be careful, I will eat you as soon as you set me free. But for now..."_ _The Shukaku, with its hind legs, bends while his paws are firm and rested on the ground, its tail swishing with anticipation as it sits beside him._ _"I shall observe the situation you and your meat friends got into, I will wait until you have your fill of anguish. This would be very amusing to watch."_ _And so they are both still and patiently waiting, for the outcome of the world outside._

.

* * *

.

SUNA: Monday/Suna grounds/The Cave/**Reality**/**10:45 AM**

The Kazekage wheezes, having shortness of breath at such a state. The colours that he sees seem to be melting and moving abnormally. "Gaara…" A hooded man calls out to the boy.

For a time, the boy's vision was blurring. He closes his eyes and grips his head, reacting from the short term loss in thought. He confronts them properly, now to find two people before him.

The girl… and one familiar guy. "Gaara, do you know… who I am?" Kankuro asks cautiously.

Focus… focus…

.

* * *

.

_**In the Realm of Unconsciousness**_/_**The Shukaku's Abode**_/_**Time: Infinite**_

_"Geh! It's that pug faced brother of yours!"_ _The massive fiend's tail moves irritably._ _"I don't want to eat that! That pug face reeks!"_ _The bijuu actually cringes in distaste and sticks out his tongue._ _It looks at the faint life of a human standing on its one side for any reaction towards the man outside who is trying to communicate with them._ _"You don't wanna intervene?" The monster asks the boy, who stares with not an expression._ _"Fine, it's your disgusting filth of a sibling."_ _It grins, its mouth overflowing with chi that when given off vaporizes like fog._

.

* * *

.

SUNA: Monday/Suna grounds/**The Cave**/**10:50 AM**

"Gaara…?" The general asks yet again. The red haired boy closes his eyes for a moment… and then he is gone.

"Shut up…" The red head responds. Kankuro blinks his eyes, taken aback at his brother's reply. He didn't think he'd actually reply immediately.

"Bro…?" The hooded man calls out to the child.

"I ain't yer brother, you rotten meat bag." The Kazekage replies with spite. With that insult, Kankuro knows who it is.

"Oh no..." The purple faced guy shakes his head in dislike, holding onto his head, anticipating a migraine.

"What? What's wrong?" Sakura asks.

"Sakura, as of now that person is not Gaara." Kankuro explains to the kunoichi.

"What are talking about? He's right in front of you, what do you mean?" Haruno questions.

The redhead looks back at them with blackened eyes, except for his pupils that flashes like gold, chi like fog of the beast trickles down from the boy's mouth.

"It's the Shukaku…" The young man with purple ink on his face answers. The possessed boy laughs ominously.

"As usual, it took a while for you to realize, you moldy jerky." The beast tells the general. Kankuro sighs.

"Where's Gaara, you annoying animal, could you get yer ugly self out of him?" The hooded man requests without being mannerly.

"Who're you calling ugly? Huh?" The animal replies with a threat. One of Kankuro's puppets tries to attack the boy, but in an instant the bloodied sand devours his wooden weapon.

"Kankuro!" Sakura wonders what is going on with his mind to think that he would actually try to harm his own little brother.

"Gaara… You idiot!" The general describes the red head openly. The Shukaku frowns, but does not heed with the insult.

"Why are you letting the Shukaku take a hold of you? You've suppressed it for years, and you're giving up now? Idiot!" Kankuro continues.

_**The beast reacts with a blank face, and then he frowns in annoyance. The boy beside him, on the other hand, does not waver. It makes the boy's body scratch his head, clearly irritated.**_

"Sorry, pug faced human… this vessel wouldn't budge. So for now, I'm taking over this body—" The beast is interrupted before it could even finish.

"Don't give up Gaara! I know you better than that! Get a hold of yourself!" The hooded young man talks to his brother, purposely ignoring the beast. The Shukaku's cheeky smile disappears. With one swing of sand, Kankuro is flung into one side of the cave, smashing on the wall.

"You dare interrupt me again you piece of stinky meat, and I will do worst of you!" The boy glows of fiery yellow, flames licking out of him.

"Kankuro!" Temari stands from behind the boulder and runs to where Sakura is, holding out her fan she attempts to attack the boy with one hit.

"Geh! The blondie bitch is here too? You're too tough to be eaten by me, I'll just end up with a bad stomach so…" The boy raises his hand unconsciously. The sand counters the strong wind making Temari end up in one end of the cave as well; she excruciatingly falls on the ground, writhing in pain.

"Temari!" Sakura can't tell what state that they are in, because they are thrown far away and the place that they are in is rather dim.

"So… who's left?" The animal asks the woman in front of her, pretending to search for anyone else. Sakura brings her attention back to the Shukaku who is standing right in front of her without hesitation.

"Ahh, a new face… a pretty one too!" With Gaara's hands it caresses her cheek; she keeps her composure without trembling. "And very, very… tasty."

.

* * *

.

_**In the Realm of Unconsciousness**_/_**The Shukaku's Abode**_/_**Time: Infinite**_

_In the abyss, the Shukaku bares his sharp teeth and drools._ _The transparent grey boy beside him, on the other hand, looks on with a brow starting to shape a faint reaction._

_The boy's lips are now tight, and his eyes rather attentive._

.

* * *

.

SUNA: Monday/ Suna grounds/**The Cave**/**11:00 AM**

"What is your wish, woman? Perhaps I can grant you your wish before I gut you out." The beast asks her.

"Wish…?" She repeats. **She remembers the star that night, not so long ago.**

"Hell, it's not like I can achieve just any wish with this predicament. Thus I will grant you a painless death-" More sand seep out of the ground and surrounds her.

But before the animal could continue, she responds to his question: "Bring…" She starts, her voice echoing from the cave. **Of a time when she heard the boy ask of something that is of great bearing.**

"What?" The Shukaku asks impatiently.

"Bring Gaara…" Sakura continues. **To a shining object far away, so far that she knew that the wish could not be heard so easily.** "Bring Gaara back!" Haruno demands.

**But she heard his wish… and that is more than enough to make it come true.**

It watches her in a stunned pose, for such a tiny woman of no existence demanding within the beast's stature, it is insulting. "That I cannot do…" The beast tells her.

Even though the Shukaku will be so amused to have granted such a request, it will be impossible. For it is the boy's will, its master's will who can be the only one to make such a decision. A huge hand made out of sand attacks her. But just as she is about to get hit, the fist breaks down and dissolves. Sakura sees Kankuro and Temari holding unto Gaara's body, their weapons flaring in a way that will keep the beast captive. She finds Gaara transfixed on the ground, an array of puppets are holding him down while his sister who is above him weighs her heavy metal fan around his head.

"You dare to restrain me? With these mediocre toys? Hah!" The beast says with a laugh.

"Gaara…" Sakura persists. The Shukaku turns his attention to the girl standing before it. "I'm your mother…" She says with confidence.

.

* * *

.

_**In the Realm of Unconsciousness**_/_**The Shukaku's Abode**_/_**Time: Infinite**_

_"Oi… why are you telling this boy such a horrible lie? You'll just make his crappy attitude worse!"_ _The Shukaku scolds from the abyss._ _"Right, boy?"_ _He looks down to the child, who does not react._ _"Hmm..."_ _The monster knows that when it comes to this topic, Gaara will kindly dispense a void of guilt before him._ _Something that will hinder any more of his suffering will be destructive._ _But he still does not react._

_It is like his mute approach is an appeal of agreement._

.

* * *

.

SUNA: Monday/Suna grounds/**The Cave**/**11:05 AM**

"No you're not!" The boy shouts, with his own voice.

"A few days ago… we celebrated your birthday, it was fun." She says as she smiles. The smile she had at that time, when Gaara has blown his first candles. The boy and even the Shukaku is silent. "You loved your cake; you wanted me to bake another one, didn't you?" Sakura asks.

"I told you to shut up…" The boy interrupts with a trembling voice.

"We have so many memories just like that day… so many memories…" She giggles and edges closer to him and on her knees, she pulls out a handkerchief. "You had a lot of icing on your face, and then I wiped it off like this." Sakura gently wipes the blood and dirt off Gaara's cheeks. "There he is… my handsome little boy…" The way she looks at him, with that smile on her face. It actually makes him feel a little comforted. And the way her hands comb through his hair. The feel of her fingertips seem so familiar, her caress even got the Shukaku off guard.

"You used to come home all messy like this, and then you would come after me and give a big dirty hug.." She says as continues to brush his hair. Gaara's eyes widens in disbelief.

"H-hey! Stop that!" The boy struggles.

"I didn't care that you have dirt all over you, I hug you anyway. How could I deny a hug from such a wonderful face.." The pink haired girl continues to recall.

"Are you mental, little girl?" The boy said in a beastly voice, the Shukaku answering for him yet again.

"Remember when we are in the park, Gaara, you trip a lot, but we always pick you up." Sakura tells him, sentimental with her words.

"Be quiet! You stupid woman!" The Shukaku demands loudly.

She wipes off the blood dripping from his brow and then the mess in his forehead. "And no matter how muddy and dirty you are, we always pick you up and clean that all that dirt off…" Haruno persists, as she tends to the boy's wounds. He growls, both of despise and warning. "One day, you tripped again. But you stood up on your own all by yourself..even though you fell, you came back all by yourself." The pink haired girl says, proud of the child's achievement. The boy clenches his teeth, his knuckles white. "So Gaara..." She dares to continue.

"SHUT UP!" The beast scolds.

She makes him look at her face to face, holding his chin into place. "Gaara, please, come back." Sakura simply states, believing her own words.

.

* * *

_._

_**In the Realm of Unconsciousness**_/_**The Shukaku's Abode**_/_**Time: Infinite**_

_"This woman is telling you to get back to your senses, who does this meat think she is?" The beast turns to the boy with a wide grin; but his smirk disappears, seeing something that is out of the ordinary._ _"What the…"_ _Shukaku watches the boy trembling, closing his eyes and then his ears._ _"Oh… I see…"_ _Like the wise and surprisingly not too blood thirsty creature that it is, it calms down and watches._ _Quietly and with understanding, towards a child, a child that he has driven to the most painful past and present._ _A child who has honor, which even the beast's likeness will consider._

.

* * *

.

SUNA: Monday/Suna grounds/**The Cave/11: 15 AM**

"AAAAAUUUUUGGGGHHHHH!" He shouts and grips his head. The chi coming out of his body exceeds, to the point that it has become a huge impulse of power. His constant stir of energy explodes, causing the three to back off like the debris from the blast and ending up at the far entrance. The earth starts to shake.

"Gaara!" Sakura calls out to the boy.

The walls start to crumble. "What's happening?" Temari looks around, alerted by the breaking of stone.

"Shit! We better get out of here!" Kankuro warns, knowing this distinct sound of breaking, which is so loud that such a noise can hurt his ears. "Everyone, get out!" He shouts. The ceiling starts to fall. "Run!" He commands, managing to avoid the pieces falling from above and gets out safely, his sister just behind him. He can only hear a pair of steps following him rampantly. "Temari! Where's Sakura?" He asks his sister.

"I can't hear you!" The blonde replies loudly.

Kankuro turns his head to see the becoming of a catastrophe. The pink haired kunoichi is not with them, she runs at a different direction.

"Sakura! No!" He calls out to her, but it is too late. The pink haired kunoichi went back to the cave, to where Gaara is. "Sakura!" Kankuro can only shout in vain, as boulders fall on the entrance, completely resealing and demolishing any way to go back or to get out of.

"Gaara!" She coughs, peering out of the fog of dust. "Where are you?" She follows the glowing overwhelming energy in front of her. "Gaara?" She sees his form, out of the blinding earth and bewildering sounds.

"No! Go away! Just leave!" The child orders.

"Gaara, let's get out of here! It's dangerous!" Sakura tells him. However, He isn't listening, trembling and rocking himself steadily. She confronts him, ignoring all that is happening around them.

"Here, take my hand!" Sakura offers. He ignores her. She tries to hold on to his shoulder but he swipes her hold off.

"Leave me alone!" The child continues to demand. She pays no attention to what he says, taking the hand that despise her and holding on tight.

"I am not leaving without you!" She tells him. He notices her eyes that are now not filled with confusion and hurt. Or even self pity. She looks at him seriously, the eyes of someone who wants things her way. No matter what happens.

"Y-you have no right to boss me around!" He in turn, defends himself.

"Yes I do! I have every right to!" Sakura scolds. She isn't just talking to the boy this time; she is also talking to the beast. "I am your mother!" She says with a dominant voice.

"Don't tell me what I can or cannot do!" This woman is the only human that actually made the Shukaku speechless.

"Gaara! Watch out!" Sakura shouts. Pieces of the ceiling are falling above the boy. Sakura stands even closer by him, hitting the stones and changing their directions. Gaara covers his head and closes his eyes tightly. "Damn!" After some time she stops, her hands are worn out, even breaking some fingers. This time, she covers him with her body, holding on to him and taking all that are coming from above. He wails, disturbed by both the body keeping him safe, and the thundering blows that is inflicted on her. "Are… y-you okay, Gaara?" She manages to ask him as she keeps her composure.

He opens his eyes, to find her looking at him, thankful that he is doing okay. "Why...? Why are you trying to save me?" The boy asks her.

"Mothers… can't leave their children behind…" She says with a smile, the smile that she has given a few moments ago. The smile is so familiar to him, so delicate. It is painful just looking at her going through the heavy stones, but she doesn't flinch and just keeps on smiling.

"I can't leave you Gaara… I just can't…" Her body is starting to give in, tears from her face fall to his. "I couldn't do that to you…" She says truthfully.

She holds him tight, covering his face and looking away as she coughs out blood. "I won't leave you..Gaara.."

The whole place falls apart… but just as they are about to be enclosed in rubble...A miracle happens.

.

* * *

.

_**In the Realm of Unconsciousness**_/_**The Shukaku's Abode**_/_**Time: Infinite**_

_The Shukaku hums what is supposed to be a happy song, but for some reason, he just isn't feeling it._ _Something about that woman who is near to death makes it a little tense inside._

"_Mom…" The child sobs._ "_Ei? What you say? Why are you pining about that woman? Your mother's dea—" The beast is interrupted with a strange sound._

_-Sniff sniff-_

_Something odd starts to fall from his eyes._ "_I have to… protect her…" The child in him tells the animal._ _He furiously tries to wipe the tears out of his eyes._

_It is strange liquid to the animal, so clear and pure like crystal… so innocent._ _It is emotion._ "_Mommy…" The red head continues to express._

_The Shukaku's tail twitches._

_._

* * *

.

SUNA: Monday/Suna grounds/**Outside the Cave of Entrapment**/**11:30 AM**

"Where are they? Do you see them?" Temari asks, coughing. Kankuro peers out of the murkiness of the air, everything starts to clear out. The place that once is part of a mountain is now a flat area of nothing.

"No…" He replies. But then, he hears a sudden blasting sound in one end, he turns to find two figures. "Gaara! Sakura!" The General calls out with relief and gratefulness.

It is the boy carrying a woman on his own hands; he walks limping headed for them, fuming with overwhelming miasma that is now cooling down rapidly.

"What happened…?" They can only ask with a stutter, even with confusion, not knowing whether it is truly Gaara who is conscious.

"This stupid woman covered the boy when the ceiling collapsed, and then this stupid boy used his energy up so much to protect her that I had to intervene…" The boy answers in a rasp, deep and intimidating tone. "A couple of idiots. Is protecting miniscule lives that important? How disgusting…" The beast describes with loathing. It gives the girl to Kankuro, the hooded guy takes her with care, a little taken aback at how gentle the Shukaku is trying to be.

"Is she breathing?" Temari asks, noticing Sakura's eyes that flutter. "Yes, she is." Kankuro replies.

"Thank goodness…" The blonde says. Both of them breathe out a sense of relief.

"Oi… meatheads…" The animal refers, to the hooded man and the blue-eyed girl. They have forgotten that they are dealing with a 1000 year old powerful monster in front of them.

"I will entrust this foolish vessel to her…" The possessed boy gives her to the blonde girl, with slight hesitation.

"W-what?" Kankuro cannot believe what the beast has said, to entrust Gaara to a human is unlikely for the likes of such a blood thirsty being.

"I lived more than a thousand years enough to know that most that harboured me has gone through a miserable life…" He looks at his small frail shivering hands, stained with more than they can imagine. "I could at least spare whatever keeps this boy living…" The Shukaku looks on to her with a particular gaze and an uncanny grin.

"She is an interesting woman, I will allow her to be around for now…" The wise animal says. With a swift swish of an almost transparent tail, the beast leaves with echoing laughter.

"This is…" Kankuro looks at Sakura, amazed that she has been held by the monster and left unscathed.

For once the Shukaku has shown… **Mercy.**

.

* * *

.

_**In the Realm of Unconsciousness**_/_**The Shukaku's Abode**_/_**Time: Infinite**_

_"That was good exercise!"_ _The animal bends his back and hind legs, and then ruffles its fur with satisfaction._ _"Boy, I am leaving you with this body for now."_ _It says, peering from the wincing of refreshed eyes._ _"I am warning you, if you let yourself die, I will devour you completely to the point of no return."_ _He gives the yet emotionless but crying boy a lick with its large tongue._ _"We will meet again, perhaps even more frequently since you seemed to have achieved a sense of being with me around." He assures the boy, actually complimenting the Kazekage's accomplishments._

_Gaara stops crying and nods slowly, wanting to be polite and of agreement to some wanted company._ _"When that time comes, bring Sake. It gets lonesome in your head."_ _The Shukaku pats his red head with its tail._ _"Be stronger and get back to normal, that way you can be mature enough to have a drink with me."_ _The Shukaku turns its back away from him with a swish of its tail._

_Leaving the boy to face, the consequences waiting for him on the other side on his own._

_._

* * *

.

SUNA: Monday/Suna grounds/**Reality/Outside the Cave of Entrapment**/**12:00 AM**

The Kazekage opens his eyes, and he does not only see red, but also various specks of colours. "Gaara…?" The general calls out to the boy in front of him.

"Uncle Hanky…? Aunty Mawy?" The child replies.

"Gaara! You're back!" Kankuro states, overjoyed. Both his siblings hug him, happy to see the same green eyes looking at them with wonder.

The red head then looks down as they hold him, staring at the woman who seems to be near to death. "...Mom?"

.

* * *

.

SUNA: Monday/**Suna General Hospital**/**Private Intensive Care Utility**/**4:00 PM**

Hours after the ordeal, they have made themselves out of danger and into the confines of the hospital. The white bright and clear facilities disturb him, but not entirely. He is familiar to such a place, as if he has been here before, many, many times; with this woman, who looks like one of the patients that can be found in the terminal wards. He watches her breath as he feels the pulse radiating from her hand. The warmth of her skin calms him, as well as the consistent thumping of her heart, the moving of her blood.

Blood. It sickens him so. But not as much as the truth that has come to mind, such a truth that would be disastrous for a son to know. He looks at the dispenser above his head with distaste, the red liquid dripping and then being consumed slowly. The blood she has and his own were never connected. "She's not really my mother… right?" The boy asks his brother with a quiet voice, knowing the answer before it was even told.

Kankuro cannot imagine what the kid is going through on his mind after all that he has been through. But to even deal on the fact that she is not really his mother will be devastating. He can only tell him the truth… and make Gaara deal with the consequences. It sickens him that he has to tell and do what he could to make his brother into a horrid character, even before he was on such a state like this. Always given the responsibility to reveal to his brother, an even bigger and torturous existence than himself. If he acted any other way, he could have. **To change his brother's future, even just a little.**

"That's right… but…" Kankuro goes to his side, together gazing at the woman with apprehensiveness. "She has been taking care of you all your life… in this life…" The general explains.

The boy edges closer to Sakura, leaning to pull some blanket over her exposed arms. His hand shivers as he holds on to her hands that are both heavily covered with gauze and supportive planks and plaster, to the point that she could not feel his touch. **At that time that he could not, but now he can.** "It doesn't matter who she is… she loves you…" The general tells him. The boy closes his eyes, trying to stop himself from shedding any further grief. **Because of this one woman who came into their life, the walls that they build between each other are broken.**

"I…I…" The child hides his face, resting his head by her chest. "You did it, Gaara… you protected your mother…" Kankuro assures, patting the boy on the shoulder. The child closes his eyes tight and concentrates on the heart the he hears, the continuous thumping of her heart. "You protected her…" His big brother repeats to a boy who trembles not in fear, but to a pure grateful feeling of life. A life that the Kazekage now holds so dear.

.

* * *

.

SUNA: Monday/Suna General Hospital**/Medical Staff and Guest Lounge**/**6:00 PM**

Kankuro closes the door discreetly, careful not to make noise. "How's he doing?" Temari asks to her brother.

"Not good. He doesn't want to leave her side. He looks like crap." He removes his hood and scratches his head with worry.

"What did the medics say about Sakura's condition?" He asks.

"She's going to make it. She's brutally bruised and some fingers and an arm are broken but she'll be okay." She answers.

"Thank goodness, that's for sure. I dunno what will happen if things get any worse. What about Gaara?" The prime minister continues.

The General can only imagine the stress that has been inflicted on his body from the strenuous activities that the Shukaku made him go through.

"He has a broken leg, lots of cuts… bruises… he had an infection so he has a high fever…He needs rest then. But…" Kankuro looks at the side window of the door; the boy holding on one of Sakura's marred hand. "I don't think he wants to." He informs, as he notices that the kid's features seem less more dominant in a way that would suffer from the seriousness of his face. "Temari… how old is he this time?" The hooded young man asks.

"As of now, he's five years old." The blonde answers. Kankuro sighs. "I'm not surprised. After all that he has been through this past week…" Her brother reacts.

Temari covers her mouth with her hand, looking at the two with grief. "Look at them… they both look so fragile..." She says, tears falling from her eyes as she watches over them. Kankuro rests his hand on his sister's head, comforting her. "We can only hope that his condition won't get any worse… especially with Sakura like this…" He tells his sister, hoping for the best for the mother and son's recovery.

.

* * *

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SUNA: Monday/Suna General Hospital/**Private Rehabilitation Facility**/**11:00 PM**

"Mom?" He is awakened, by a gentle hold that carries him off his feet and into the white bed. He lies on one side of her, and is given a share of pillow. She pulls the sheets back and tucks him in with her, giving him a kiss on the forehead. He can only look back, disgruntled at her actions. But then she checks his temperature with the back of her hand, and starts asking how he was. He can't hold back his feelings, to someone who thinks of him other than herself. "M-mommy… I'm really sorry… I did this to you…" Gaara asks, for forgiveness.

"Shhhh..." She faintly hums his lullaby as she strokes his hair.

"I'm sorry, mommy… I'm sorry…" He continues to say to her. "It's alright… everything is fine… everything is okay now… Don't worry…" Sakura assures him with a soothing voice.

Everything is okay. Everything is fine. Nothing to worry about. As long as she is by his side. Always.

"I'm here for you… Gaara." She tells him.

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I'm here for you.

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**Gaara's Age: Five Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **3 Months and One day**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/5th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	11. HIs first Priority

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His First Priority"**

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**Gaara's Age: 5 Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **3 Months and Two weeks**

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**SUNA: Friday/Suna General Hospital**/**Private Patient Care**/**6:00 AM**

He opens his eyes, to confront the white ceiling. He sighs, as if his whole body is frozen. For a while, he feels like he is numb like a corpse. But now, he can breathe. And breathing feels so good, so right. Everything is white in front of him. The ceiling, the walls, the sheets… Everything Clear… Clean… Pure… And white. Light from the windows implores the ivory like nature of the room.

The silence feels awkward… but he likes it. He finds the place to be rather comforting and protective. Just like the hand that holds his, such a gentle yet wanting touch. His lips tighten, his body trembling. This his feels so…Holy. Too bright. For the likes of him, who is nothing, but filth in his own eyes. He feels so incompatible, unbefitting in such a sacred place. With a person who is so beautiful like the statues that dwell in this place of peace that cannot describe their indescribable grace but only to compliment them. He breathes in deep, and exhales slowly.

He tries to contain himself, trying to stop him from reacting abruptly that might disturb the unmoving creature beside him. He watches the angel without making a sound, trying to hear the soft murmur of her breathing. Her long hair that curls and rest surrounds her, even tickling his nose, almost covers her facade. He carefully slips some strands behind her ear to look at her properly. Her face, close up, stuns him. Her long eyelashes flutter, and her soft pink lips seem to slightly smirk in response to his gentle strokes on her cheek. Her complexion cannot be comprehended by what surrounds them.

She has a wonderful air to her, the kind of aura that would make you incapable to ignore. She doesn't look tired, stressed or frustrated… she looks so peaceful. Such a timelessly magnificent masterpiece. For some reason, the way her chest rise up and down makes him calm enough to keep him from getting out of the situation. This close… face to face… Intimate situation.

He edges closer, to hear her heartbeat. He tightens his grip on her now healed hand. And surrounds her with his short arm, covering her with his small frame. He rests his head on one nook of her shoulder and, with a furrowed brow, he holds on her tight. He strokes her pink locks, even curling some with his fingers, taking a whiff of her strawberry scented hair. He feels grateful, so grateful… Thankful that he can hear her thumping heart, to hear her alive. Thankful that he can touch her soft pale skin that has a pulse. To his perception, a one wonderfully amazing pulse.

He feels so gratified and yet so filled with grief. That such a filthy form such as his would have the right to be near such a wonderful being. Such a beautiful magnificent situation that he has no right to be in. He feels so dirty in this pure and innocent state. He wants to drift away, away from this heaven that he has no right to be in. He feels like he is suffocating from this place that he does not belong.

He should get away, he has to, and he must.

Today is the day that Sakura will wake after days of rest in order to heal more rapidly. And all that time, Gaara devoted to seeing her and tending to her every day. Talking to her even though he knows she cannot hear her, showing her pictures of the outside that he drew to entertain her. Singing the lullaby every night, that song they both know so well. Soon she will wake up, good as new, refreshed and the same as she always was. But unlike Sakura, Gaara has changed a lot since she slept. From that given time, he was unable to think of words that would express him to her personally.

He doesn't know what to say to her, whether he should ask forgiveness to her repeatedly though he has no right. Or if he should just say good bye and ask her to leave him alone and never see him again. Sadly, he doesn't want to do either, or both. He is tired of asking for something he may never possess… and no matter how much he has to… no matter how willingly he could.. He could never leave her.

No… never again. So… for now… As much as he wants to continually play with her hair. As much as he wants to hold her tight to know she's right beside him. He has to… leave… for now…

And just as she would tuck him to bed and give him a kiss on the forehead:

He gives her a rather faint but knowing kiss on the tuft of her hair and slowly but gently gets out of his hold and from his laced touch grip. He brings down on leg out of the bed and levels his weight to reduce any creaking noise, putting his foot down and then another. Touching the cold tile floor, he successfully gets out of the bed without waking her. He puts a pillow beside her, replacing him. He tucks her, remembering to double fold a bit so that she won't be cold on the shoulder blade and smoothing out the creases of the blanket to keep her snug.

With just a pair of hospital jammies and no shoes to cover the soles of his feet from the cold sting of the ground, he walks out of the glorious sanctuary that he has unreasonably resided in. Leaving the one carved gorgeous entity to rest in a momentary trance as she had left him. He closes the door and runs, his steps pit pattering through the hallways to the exit.

He confronts much light of the sun, enveloping himself to it to the point that he could erase himself completely.

"Wait for me… Mom…"

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SUNA: Friday/Suna General Hospital/**Medical Staff and Guest Lounge**/**6:30 AM**

She looks out on the distance with her gray blue eyes, her vision a little hazy, tired from an overnight shift. Her long bangs starts to annoy her, she hastily brush some away, enough to keep her dazed as she watches a view. She feels through her bandaged wrist before cupping her cup of coffee with her hand. The band aid on her left upper brow starts to itch, but she didn't care. Because her cut and rather swollen lip burns as she takes a sip of the hot addicting water. "Ow…" Is her only whimper to herself. She rests her chin on her other hand as she blows on the steamy beverage.

"Temari… mornin…" Kankuro tells his sister as he accompanies her. She is alerted out of her depressed look to find her brother looking rather down but not too much as she is.

"Hey…" She pours a cup and passes it to him, who now sits from across her.

"How's their status?" He asks her.

"She's still unconscious, but she's doing okay. She might wake up any minute now." She replies.

"That's great." He slurps a good gulp. "I have some good news." The blonde brightens up. "

Oh really? Me too." He answers with a cheeky grin.

"Gaara got older." Temari informs him happily.

"Ohooo…" He sips some more and holds up the coffee mug like a goblet in celebration before putting it down. "No wonder…" The general expresses with amusement.

"Huh?" Temari reacts, a bit surprised that his response wasn't so ecstatic.

"How old is he?" Kankuro asks his sister, to find if what he saw with his own eyes is true.

"He's twelve years old… I let the medics check him twice…" The blue-eyed woman tells him, eyeing the hooded man suspiciously. She recalls when she has gone in the room and seen the boy four times or even five times bigger than he used to be.

"He is more five years older than he was in one night… and then in a blink of an eye…" Kankuro sighs in a relief, closing his eyes. "Well… I guess it is to be expected… I mean, what happened was traumatic but…" He scratches his head, flaking off some dandruff. Temari swipes them out of the table with a disgusted look. "He did it… he got over whatever was holding him back…" He states proudly. His sister smiles and shakes her head in both disbelief and nostalgic agreement, pouring another coffee for her. "And even better…" The general adds.

"What do you mean?" She asks his brother, looking puzzled and interested. "He faced his past… his regrets… and has something to live for…" Kankuro tells her. The blonde gives a light laugh.

"Ahh… yes… he does, doesn't he?" She creases her forehead, and rubs it with mild irritation. "I'm… so happy…" She starts to sniffle.

"Oh come ooonnn… you cried last night and the other nights before that, you were sobering up fine until now…" Kankuro points out, ignoring her emotional state.

"I know that! Just shut up, Uncle Kaka…" She responds with a tease, annoyed that she is being pointed out of emotions.

"What do you mean by no wonder?" She asks him as she reaches out for a tissue in a cupboard.

"What?" He asks, unsure of what she is saying.

"I told you something that you should be jumping for joy by now, but you took it in like you saw something just as interesting." The blond rests her hands on her hips, keeping her sceptical gaze on Kankuro.

"And then you told me 'no wonder' as if you knew something…" Then she realizes, looking at him with a proud look at her face. "You saw him?" She asks.

"Yeah, I did. While I was on my way here…" He gives a smug smirk as well.

"While I was walking on my way here, I almost bumped into a ruffian boy running out of the building." He hands out his mug to her, she fills it up again. "He had dull red hair and a big patch of gauge on his forehead… He just kept running until he got there… until he got out." He gets her attention even more, when he has mentioned red hair. "He was four point five inches tall… with slim strong limbs… and bare feet… sand was trailing after him…" Kankuro looks at the dark brown roast smelling liquid with a nostalgic expression.

"Gaara…?" Temari asks excitedly.

"He looks exactly like him, when he was at that age… 12… but something was different about him…" The hooded man describes. Temari wants to ask what direction he went to… with worry sinking in her head. But since he doesn't seem to be erratic and hasn't taken action the minute he has recognized him, she calms down and concentrates at what he is going to say, before she acts without thinking. "What were different of him were… his eyes… they are still surrounded with them bloody dark rims… but…" He looks at her with a reassuring face. "He looked rather sad… helpless… confused… distraught yes… but he'll survive."

He looks at Temari straight in the eye. "He'll survive." He repeats.

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SUNA: Friday/**Sunakagure Public Park**/**7:00 AM**

The laughter and the rampant sound of sandals clunking on the grassy field interests him as he makes his way to the park. He has seen the public area a few blocks from the window of the room just as he is about to leave. He finds the scene nostalgic and surprisingly comforting, someplace that he would not feel too comfortable to the point that it would guilt him out. He sits on a nearby bench, watching the children playing around for a moment before he closes his eyes and tries to make sense of anything that would seem important.

But as he arches and furrows his brow, he cannot seem to fit anything to place, he feels confused and overwhelmed. Everything is clashing in his head. He sighs, giving up instead, knowing that it would take longer that he thought. But he opens his eyes once more and looks up to the sky with wide helplessness, a sign of vulnerability, and a face of longing. To make things, even a little better. It is progress.

The ball disturbs his distant gaze, splashing a spherical orange tinge on the wide blue skies, covering the bright sun for a moment. And then capturing a cloud of many which scattered before the ball returns back down to the small hands that catches it. He observes as the small ones smile in victor, jumping around and running after the ball all over again. He remembers that time he was playing with some kids three weeks ago, he smiles at the memory, recalling that he has won the game of tag with ease. But then he slowly loses his smile as he also recalls a time when he has been hated and ran from.

This memory seem new to him and yet seem like he has experienced it long before he has known anything about this new life. A time when kids throw stones at him and when he, in turn, breaks the leg of one of them into pieces. He shudders and shakes his head, shaking of the images and emotions. Did he really go through that? To actually hurt someone that way? '**No… it can't be…'**

A sudden thump in the head disturbs him from his deep thought, his hands catches a rubbery texture. "Hey!" A boy hollers out to him. "Pass the ball." The child commands.

Gaara looks at him, and then the others with attentive eyes. He points at himself. "Me?" He asks. The boy laughs heartedly and nods.

"Yeah you, who else?" The kid replies. The red head manages a faint smile, happy to be of service to such an energetic group, he tosses the ball back. "Thanks!" The boy is about to turn away when a girl in front of him gives him a look, as if he is forgetting something. "Erm, cough, cough." He begins.

The child attempts to catch his attention once more. "You wanna play with us?" He asks the red head. The pale Kazekage blinks his eyes, those words seem foreign to him, and although he has heard it a second time before, it is like he is having the rushing feelings he had the first time he has been called to a game. It is odd to him that he would feel that way, since it isn't the first time someone has asked him to play, but it is like he has never heard it before in his life.

"...Play?" Gaara repeats.

"Yes, play with us!" The boy beckons with a hand. "Um…" The red head mumbles.

Feeling hesitation as he sits awkwardly, the girl comes forward and offers her hand.

"Come on, it will be fun." She says with a big smile, her eyes barely showing with such an expression.

He blushes; feeling even more invited, eventually takes her hand and runs to the others.

They have eventually gotten used to the addition of a new player, seeing that the boy moves and reacts, the same as they do. Soon though, they notice how remarkably vibrant his eyes were, so lucid and out of place, like that of a foreigner. His composure rather strange, awkward yet comfortable around them. The way he weakly kicks the ball seems graceful, for even if it looks like a miss, the ball is passed on with immense force and superb accuracy. It is his laugh and his smile that catches their attention most of all, it is as if he has the face of innocence and maturity altogether.

Pretty soon his team of players is winning the game, not mainly because they are winning because of effort, but because the others are much too distracted at his graceful nature. The boy who invited him in the first place, isn't as distracted as the others; he is more distracted at the fact that the girl nearby is just as enchanted as they are. Sensing that someone is staring at her, she turns towards him and gives a smile. Realizing he is staring at her for a while, he blushes and turns away, making his way to her awkwardly. "Um… Hey… Isn't he a little weird?" The boy asks.

"You mean the red head?" The girl replies.

He nods. "I mean look at him, his forehead is bandaged and stuff..did he hit his head from tripping a lot?" The boy laughs somewhat nervously, hoping that the girl laughs with him.

"I think his bandaged head is cool." The girl answers simply. Boy frowns, finding that his plan of humiliating the redhead backfires.

I-I guess.." He reluctantly agrees.

"Yeah, he's really cute, isn't he?" She happily tells him.

The jealous boy's face reddens even more than a blush; he glares at the redhead with envy. "Hmph, more like a girl to me." He comments.

"A girl?" She laughs, thinking what he says was rather funny.

"Y-Yeah, he has a face like a girl and everything." He points out defensively. She gives him a cheeky grin and then circles him playfully.

"You're just jealous." She teases.

"N-no I'm not!" The boy retorts. She laughs some more. "Take that back!" He demands.

"You have to catch me first!" She tells him as she skips and turns, sticking out her tongue before she runs away.

"Come back here!" He chases after her, following with even more laughter. Just as he was chasing after her, he sees the ball being kicked with immense speed.

"Whoa! The new guy's kick is gonna win us the game!" Says one of the children. It is no doubt the red head's doing, his leg still in the air seconds after the ball is shot. It is a really strong kick, to the point that it is inhuman. "Goal!" Everyone shouts, as the ball has gone through the net across the field. Then even further, ripping out of the net and aiming directly on the girl who blindly in front of it.

"Hey! Watch out!" The girl's friend helplessly shouts. It is too late, the ball is going to reach her in mere seconds. He closes his eyes, when he thought he is about to hear her scream. But there is nothing, but sounds of awe and startled gasps. He opens his eyes to find the ball being held up in mid-air, mere inches away from her head, the sphere still pulsating in its insane momentum before being completely engulfed and then incinerated by a blob of sand. He traces the alien like dirt to find that it is being effortlessly controlled by the boy they just met. Everyone runs towards the girl, asking her if she is alright.

Gaara follows, by walking cautiously, still hoping not to get any more attention by others.

"Wha-what was that?" One of them finally speaks.

"I-m sorry… Are you okay?" The redhead's green eyes filled with worry offers his hand.

"Yes, I… I'm fine." She replies with a tremble, looking at the hand half covered with constantly moving sand. He slowly brings his hand down, realizing she wouldn't touch him, the other children just as stunned by the strange phenomenon that he is inclined with.

"Wha-what are you?" The boy, who almost saw the girl he was running after get killed before his very eyes, questions him.

"I-I'm really sor-" The red headed boy still writhing with aura, is surrounded by his sand, he tries to come closer, everyone back away except for one who now stands in front of him, protecting the girl.

"No! Stay away! Don't touch her!" The boy scolds the Kazekage.

Gaara stops moving forward, he pauses, looking at their eyes filled with fear… and disgust. He backs away, confused and strange to the way they react towards him. "You… you monster." The angered boy describes him. The kazekage's ears seem to ring at those words. It is like breaking glass, the word repeating over and over, being murmured by the frightening children. Then the words coming out of their mouths thatcame in faint whispers have become statements… then shouting… a riot.

"No… I'm not… I'm not a monster…" He covers his ears with his hands, closing his eyes so that he would not see their lips form such words.

"Freak! Animal! You're not one of us! You're a—" Says the child. Gaara didn't have to guess the rest.

The word **Monster **resounds his thoughts**.** He goes down onto his knees, taking in the destructive pulling, nudging and the kicking of those above him. That word… above any ridicule that came after, familiar… and painful. When they have finally grown tired of bullying him and drowning him with abusive words, they stop and start to walk away. "Come on, we're leaving." The boy orders the group to follow. Gaara watches as the girl he almost hurt is being helped by the others… the boy who invited him in the first place now looks at him with hate.

"No wait, please… let me explain…" The red head grabs on to the boy who shivers in response, he in return shouts frantically, before freeing himself from the ominous grit feel grip.

"Run! He's gonna hurt us!" The unknown boy warns the others before running himself, grabbing the girl by the hand coaxing her to run faster.

"Stop… stop running…" The kazekage requests meaninglessly.

No one listens, nobody cares, he is being left alone by himself, not allowed to explain himself. He raises his hand to the crowd, seeing them going further away makes him feel engrossed with frustration. _**'Why won't they listen to me?'**_ He wasn't angry at them, he was angrier at himself, making them leave to think that he was truly what they made himself to be. He doesn't want that.

"Stop!" His sand shadows their footsteps, everyone runs for cover, the sand forming into one large hand. The girl trips and loses her footing, her leg taken by the grip of the sand.

"Help!" She shouts. She manages to catch the attention of the boy who thought she is tailing right behind him.

"Hey!" Her friend bravely shouts, going after her. "Let her go, you monster!" He holds on to her, keeping the girl from being pulled.

Again that word, his driven state to correct their judgment of him is diminished, realizing what he is doing. This scene… this same state wherein he is just about to hurt his first human being. Yes… he remembers.. His second past… now fusing unto his own. He remembers the same plot such as this… wherein everyone runs away… everyone… trying to get away from him. He didn't do it on purpose… but when he has grabbed one of them, just as he is doing to this girl at present… He has broken the girl's leg… just as he did many times afterwards… making them immobilized, never to walk the same again.

He recalls the first blood curdling scream he made his first victim shout, writhing from the pain and the fear that is done by him.

"I said let her go!" The boy hits him with a stone on the head, determined not to give up, keeping his hold on the girl. The sudden impulse of the blunt weapon into his skull awakens him from his recalling nightmare, making him face the present situation that he is in now, forcibly introduced by fresh blood staining his face and blurring his vision. Still, he is rather thankful, that he is able to get hold of reality before he performs another painful regret. He loosens his grip, controlling his own tense nature to keep his hold and splurge in the thought of seeing blood that is not of his own.

"Serves you right!" The boy says before leaving with the girl crying as she goes, none of them looking back to find him suffering at the damage that has been done.

"I… I didn't mean it…" He is used to the pain that is deepened with his sight of his own dripping blood, he knows that now, what is more painful than the reopened wound on his forehead, is the pain to revisit his past. The past he thought he never knew. "I didn't… really… none of it… I didn't…" As his hands stretch out before him, he pictures them drenched in blood over and over again. He recalls the coldness of the place he resigned himself to, the darkness he has been forced to be swallowed in, he wants to isolate him for just this one purpose.

He turns his opens hands into fists, furiously wiping his blood away from his face. He does not want to murder again. But if that is his purpose in his own right, what makes him decide to go out of his own torturous self-killing haven? It is fine for him… that he is going to die on his own. What makes him want to live again? And make himself live just for the sake of his own possibly murderous selfish reason? He hears light but abrupt footsteps coming to him, a person frantically crossing over the field, out of breath. Somebody who is in a worried state, with no one around but himself.

The wind hovers by, giving a gentle push of a familiar scent. He can sense that he is not alone, and not alone with anyone else. He can already notice the pink tinge of color at the corner of his eye.

"Gaara?" This woman calls out, though she already knew who it was, wanted to know who he is indefinitely. That voice… Salvation. "Gaara!" Such a concerned angelic voice… so addicting. She runs as fast as she can, but halfway she slows down, realizing that being hysterical of his well being might be too much for him still. "Gaara…" She tries to calm herself down as much as she can, before confronting the boy who is in despair in front of her. She gently rests her hand on his shoulder, waiting for him to get used to her seemingly unrecognizable touch, and treating it as a way of comfort.

His reckless breathing becomes more non-compulsory, with a trembling hand he holds on to hers, clutching it in desperate hold of anything real and certain. Taking this as acceptance, she goes in front of him and gives him a hug. He hugs back, clinging on her reckless worn blouse, feeling the bandages on her back. "What happened?" She softly asks. He shakes his head frantically, not really wanting to talk about it now. She is about to wipe his face with a cloth when a guy grabs her arm.

"What are you doing? Didn't you see what happened?" The man questions her frantically, followed by two other men who cautiously come near.

"Don't come close to it! It's dangerous!" One of the men from behind him yells. **'IT?'** Sakura stands, about to tell the guy off when the man in front of her starts pulling her away. "Hey! What are you trying to do!" She questions the man. "I'm trying to save your life! You are in grave danger!" He replies.

"What are you talking about? My life is not in grave danger at all! I don't need saving!" Haruno insists.

"That boy was attacking my daughter; he was terrorizing the children only minutes ago!" The father scolds at her. "What? There must be some reasonable explanation! Let me go!" The pink haired kunoichi demands.

The furious man only let her arm go when they reach a safe distance away from the boy as did everyone else. But that does not stop them from letting Gaara hear every word and all the blasphemy that came with them. Those words, he recalls, he has heard before. To the point that hearing such painful ridicule does not hurt him anymore. They are like names to him then, and now, names he knows he has to get used to.

"Everyone saw that monster terrorized our children, he was doing it in public, which is enough proof!" He tells her ignorantly.

"That's not enough at all! You don't understand, he was just-" Sakura is interrupted before she could properly explain.

"What and you do? You would rather believe in that monster than us? It's an Abomination!" The man ridicules the Kazekage without guilt.

She takes her arm back with a rude pull, and glares at the man. "Yes. I believe in that boy more than anyone here. I understand Him, because I am his mother." She says it in a clear steady voice, for all of them to her. "My son is innocent." Sakura says without shame.

It is like a surge of electricity has entered his ears. Although the words of the people have long left his trail of waning thoughts, those words are profound and they echo on his head repeatedly. Such are the words that are told by a confident, loving and caring voice. This load and unfailing recognition gives both a calming secure effect and a compulsory goal towards her… The goal to protect her by all means. He struggles as he stands behind her, surprised that such a frail looking woman would stand in front of him with ease, making her vulnerable towards him.

It feels overwhelmingly light and warm to know that someone would actually stand by him against all odds. Sakura continues, ignoring the shocked stricken expressions of the crowd. "None of you had the right to say anything about my son. I want each and every one of you to apologize to him right now." She demands with brute confidence. Only when they have heard the word 'Apologize', did their unreadable faces turn to anger.

"So… you're that monster's mother…?" The father emphasizes. Immediately hushed whispers have become loud judgment… "Then you're just the same as he is!" He assumes with prejudice.

**'Horrible… disgusting… pitiful… bitch…'** She is being called names that she had done nothing to deserve of. It is unsightly… unheard of… anger starts to boil in him. But she takes all the ridicule in without lashing out as she normally would, ignoring them as she takes Gaara gently by the hand. She unclenches his fist and gives him a wonderful smile. "Let's go, Gaara…" She tells her son. As they are about to turn around and leave, the man, this time, takes her by the shoulder with an unforgiving grip.

"Where do you think you are going? We won't let you two threaten the village any longer…" The man says.

She lets out a sigh, and gives him a cold glare. "Let me go this instant."

The red head watches as she takes the painful gruff hold on the shoulder blade… she tries to control her face… but Gaara knows he is hurting her.

"Well take you to the authorities; they'll know what to people like you who do not belong here." Says the man, not wanting to takes this lightly.

"I said… let me go.." This time, she says with murderous intent. But they are more afraid of the boy than a woman, and so they pull her away and do not dare touch the boy. "What are you doing? Have all of you lost your minds?" Haruno questions. They ignore her as they drag her away. Then they have heard a loud throaty growl from behind… they have stopped immediately and hesitantly look at whatever is making such a hideous noise. "Gaara…" Sakura can see the ominous energy overflowing towards him, an intense aura that would frighten anyone.

"Don't… touch her…" He says with a beastly voice. It is like a whole different side of him is transforming in front of their very eyes, a new warped personality. He gives a haunting unsettling bark, baring a set of sharp teeth though he has kept his human form. "Don't touch… Mother…" He mutter darkly as a warning.

"Did that thing… say something?" A man asks another.

"If you morons touch mother any longer, I'll tear you bastards from limb to limb!" The boy says scathingly. Out of fear, they drop Sakura immediately and back away. This is the first time she heard Gaara calling her 'mother', which makes her rather happy. But such vulgar threatening words have surprised her. He comes closer to where Sakura is, his murderous look turns to concern as he looks at her. "Mom, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She assures. "Don't come near us, you beast!" Some of them start to throw their weapons out of fear, but they have disintegrated even before they could touch him, the sand thrashing in detest. Gaara looks back at the crowd and starts to bend the sand towards them. Seeing that his destructive reaction is getting more inhuman, she has to make him stop.

"Gaara." She says his name as a soft command. The sand is about to lash out at them, his eyes glowed with intent. "Gaara." This time she says it in a dominant tone. "That's enough." She orders.

The sand drops instantly, giving the people the cue to run for their lives. He then faces her trembling, his eyes glittering with true repentance, tears rolling down his face. "Mom… I'm sorry…" He apologizes. Sakura hushes at him, and immediately picks him up and holds him in her arms. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" He repeats.

"It was an accident, Gaara… none of it was your fault.." She says, brushing his hair with her good arm. He sobs, crying with relief at such a selfless way of expression. Without a word, she weakly but steadily lifts his legs, carrying him to a nearby bench, and holds on to him until his sobs are reduced to sniffles.

"Didn't we tell you not to go out on your own?" She reminds. He then politely nods. After draping him with the blanket she is dragging halfway through town, she carefully wipes the blood off his face. Gaara's eye twitches as the rather rough cotton touches his newly made scar.

"Does it hurt?" She asks patiently. He didn't answer, not wanting to make her worry even more. When his face is all cleaned up, she wipes off the blood and grime on his hands, he stares blankly as she does. Even though she is finished, he still goes on staring at his hands, ignoring the brief lecture she is giving him. He wonders why even though his hands are cleaned off, he could still remember the smell of a thousand, emanating from his palms.

"Are you listening to me?" She sighs. She too stares at his hand, shivering as he wills them to be.

In her eyes, she sees two small frail looking hands… but in his, she knows, that he sees more than his hands in front of him. He sees his past written all over it. She surprises him by putting both of her hands into his, making his hands heavy, weighed off by the hands of another. Sakura then holds on his hands and slowly turns them over, making them rest on to hers. He gazes on, wondering what she is trying to say. She strokes his hands gently, supporting them. Now, his hands aren't as heavy anymore, carried by another pair, his burden taken away. "You know… I love these hands…" She says.

He blushes, embarrassed at her actions. For some reason, holding her hands seem unnatural, out if the ordinary. Awkward. It is an odd feeling, since he would subconsciously keep his hand on hers every after bath time. Then again, having a bath with his mother is also an awkward moment. Although he feels rather strange at used to be normal kind of affection, he didn't really mind. He knows he may never get used to being touched, but her touch seem different. Then the question of him not getting along with anyone else came up..nobody else really wants to touch him except for family. Because of who he is.

She lightly brushes his tangled hair, finding that he is in a turn of emotion, though she makes him happy moments ago. "Mom…" He reluctantly starts, ending with a hiccup.

"Yes honey?…" She answers, working on his wounds; she gives off a discreet glow, enough to heal. He looks at the healing injuries she has, and can't help but have a nauseating feeling in his stomach. To think that he has done all this to her, and still she is willing to be near her. **What kind of person… what kind of son would do this to his own mother…?**

"Am I… Am I really a monster?" He asks her, with a clear non-fumbling voice, hoping to also have a clear answer.

"Oh… Gaara-bear…" She kisses the permanent scar he now has, accepting that the tattoo like symbol is now who he really is. "Sweetie… someday, you will do great things and people will understand better…" She follows the line of his kanji, and then pinches his cheek. "But until then, you should understand that most of them are just frightened that you are so different from them…" Sakura says wisely.

"Is being different… bad?" He asks her.

"Of course not… it's what makes you special." She says with a light laugh. He blinks his eyes, still looking a bit confused. He finds it hard to believe that they will ever be able to accept him.

"They will understand… and they will like you for who you are… someday…" Haruno says with promise.

"But… what if they won't?" The red head questions.

"That's impossible dear… Because there are many people who like you for who you are already." Sakura replies, sure of her answer.

"Really?" He asks.

"Really." She assures.

"Like who?" He requests.

"Hmm… Like your pretty aunt Temari… your idiot uncle Kankuro… Naruto… Lee…" When she mentions Kankuro's name, his face starts to get even crosser. She laughs some more, realizing that half of the people who likes him are not reintroduced to him yet.

"Just remember I will always be by your side, even if the world is against you. Okay?" She reminds him. For some reason, he has no problems believing in those words. Above anything else that he is told of. She gives him another hug and tickles him… making him laugh. She smiles at him, and he smiles back.

"Awww…" A not so distant voice coos from the background. Behind them are two people hiding on a nearby tree. "Isn't this scene tearful?" Temari says, wiping a tear away.

"I told you he'll be fine." Kankuro grumbles.

"We would have made it in time if you didn't distract me with your nostalgic nonsense!" She thumps him in the head.

"Ow!" Her younger brother expresses.

"You should have told us earlier that he went out on his own! We would have avoided what had happened!" Says the blonde.

"Well that's true…" He scratches his head. "But then again, what he had gone through might not have been a bad thing." He smirks.

The two siblings look on, enjoying a scene of a mother and her son. "You know, their conversation just gave me an idea." He informs her.

"What?" Temari asks.

"Why won't we reintroduce him with all of his friends…?" Kankuro proposes cheekily. The blonde girl grins as well, finding the idea rather cunning.

"That is a good idea, but before that…" She looks on to the horizon and finds what she is looking for, the Suna towers hovers playfully in front of her. "Why won't we pay a visit to his old enemies?" She suggests evilly.

He turns to see what she is looking at. "Now _that _is a great idea." The General compliments.

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SUNA: Friday**/Suna General Hospital**/** Private Patient Care/9:00 AM**

"Hey kiddies!" Kankuro cheerfully comes in the room. "Hey!" Sakura waves from her bed, her arms covered with fresh bandage.

"Ah, It's Uncle Kaka." Gaara acknowledges his brother, with a mouthful of food, his forehead reapplied with gauze.

"Hey, hey. Hey! Is that a way to talk to your Big Uncle? Huh?" The general goes over to Gaara's bedside and gives him a rough noogie.

"Augh! Cut it out you idiot uncle!" The red head complains.

"Gaara-bear, words!" Sakura corrects him, surprised that he would actually use such words.

"Hoooo, my little brother's getting more manly now! Gahahaa!" He says with a hearty laugh. Before driving his fist a lot harder on his little brother's head. "You think you could get off bad mouthin yer brother haaah?" His purple inked face contorts in a pissed off mood. "Well think again, yah little shit! Muhahahaha!" Kankuro takes the boy by bringing his arm around his neck.

"Oi! That hurts!" Gaara struggles at his brother's hold.

"I might've missed yer annoyin bastard attitude **bro**..But I ain't gonna make you turn back to yer former self without anything being corrected!" He puts his foot on Gaara's face and drives him to his bed, enjoying the feel of his brother's complexion on his calves.

"Wha..What are you doing to him?" Sakura gasps, shocked at such barbaric behaviour.

"Hey! Stupid Kaka! Do you wanna die early?" Temari speaks, just as stunned.

"Hehee.." Kankuro smirks, awaiting punishment.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god…" Temari goes to Sakura and pushes her head down.

"Wha-what? What's happening?" Sakura asks, trying to put her head up.

"Trust me, it's better this way. Now duck!" The blue-eyed blonde orders Haruno.

The pink haired kunoichi does as she is told, but could not help but take a peek. When she does, she would rather have her eyes closed. As Kankuro continuously enjoys his long awaited burn at his brother, Gaara's aura has become overwhelmingly red. You can say that he is giving off ki a quarter of what he had as a demon. Which means it's a murderous kind.

"Kankuro, you idiot." Sakura says out loud, keeping her head down. From the far end of the city, you could hear a beast howl… and then the sound of a happily tortured guy screaming. He truly is an idiot.

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SUNA: Friday/Suna General Hospital/**Intensive Care**/**1:00 PM**

"GAHAHAHAHAA!" Kankuro laughs a lot louder afterwards, toying with his brother a little discreetly putting him in a headlock.

"Teme Uncle… Didn't you have enough already?" Gaara asks his big brother.

"Ahh, just like old times… finally!" His big bro messes up his red hair. "But I have to admit, I thought it would take you long enough to get some of your back…" The general says with relief.

"You annoy me." Gaara tells his big brother without guilt. Sand starts to seep through the floor.

"Alright, alright, I get it." Kankuro releases his brother's head. "Having a broken leg is enough fer me." The General says happily. His whole body is filled with bruises, his head wrapped almost completely. He had patches everywhere as well. "Sorry, Temari, looks like yah hav tah undergo the plan yerself, hehe!"

Temari, irritated, let out a sigh. "I guess it can't be helped. Sakura?" The blonde calls out to the Konoha-nin.

"Yes?" The pink kunoichi answers, now standing up, her body now healed at the most parts.

"Are you well enough to do some serious beating?" The Prime Minister requests. Sakura just looks at her for a few moments and then knows what she meant.

"Enough to make a massacre." She says with a devilish grin.

The two women hold out a high five before leaving the two men to deal with themselves. Gaara stares at the doors blankly. "Where are Mom and Aunt going?" He asks.

"Hmmm…good question. You want an answer?" His little brother agrees quietly. Kankuro carries himself unto a wheelchair, and then wheels off, out of the place. He comes back in minutes, with a remote control that he especially for the television located above them. He tosses his bro a soda, orders someone on the phone for a bit and then rests himself on the bed next to Gaara's bunk. "I think you're old enough to watch violence right?" The guy with purple ink on his face asks. Gaara looks at him blankly again. "Yeah… that's a stupid question, isn't it?" The general corrects.

The phone rings. Kankuro answers the phone.

"You got it Baki?" He asks whoever was on the line.

"Yes, just turn on the television." The caller answers him respectfully. "Honestly Kankuro-sama..Is this one of your hobbies again?" Baki asks him sternly.

"Of course not!" Kankuro answers his adviser loudly.

"Using the Sand country's surveillance is-" The sand sibling's consultant and tutor is interrupted.

"Okay Baki, Thanks man, gotta go!" The purple inked face tells his Sensei, purposely cutting him off. He turns the wide screen tv, and opens his soda.

"Accessing Sand Council Camera 135…" A digital voice from the television's speaker informs them.

"Woah…" Yes. Gaara is actually surprised. "Is that Mom?" He asks.

"Yep." His big brother replies. At first, the kazekage looks like he is about to leap out of bed to help her, but he relaxed, realizing it would be all over before he gets there.

"That's your aunt's mean roundhouse kick, I had one of those… they're nasty." Kankuro cringes as he drinks.

"Women… are scary…" The red head concludes.

"True that." The general responds. "So this is what Aunt means about you and your vid fetishes…" The red head assumes too soon.

"Uh… Yeah, hehe, you can say that.." The general replies nervously.

"I like your hobby, Uncle…" The boy compliments. Kankuro gives a big evil grin. "Gaara, my boy… I think this is a start of a beautiful friendship…" Big brother ruffles his little brother's head. The Kazekage shudders, confused about whether he should swipe his hand off or just let him be. It's a weird thought, but Gaara thinks that this is one of those bonding moments…

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**Gaara's Age: ** **Twelve Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **3 Months and Two weeks**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	12. His first friend

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His First Friend"**

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**Gaara's Age: Twelve Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **4 Months**

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**THE LAND OF WIND: Sunday**/ **Desert Country/****Kiryuu Doubtesen **/**Seventh Region, Fifth Border**/**9:00 AM**

A hot mid-morning day. Quiet. Lazy. Drifting. The dark shadows that follow them below seem to be a joyous bunch. One of the shadows would mess with the one who is piloting the makeshift plane of a fan; another would threaten the other by trying to make him fall for his annoying action, and he in turn will constantly move in the effort of scaring all of them to death.

They have been travelling for over a week now, taking off from Suna just as the sun breaks into the skies. Just as soon as Sakura smashed the last nose of the council that she could find, they rushed on whatever is needed to be done and then got out of Suna as fast as possible. They left Kiba, the General's second in command, to look out for the city. Other than leaving their former Sensei to deal with their own demise, they left the whole Suna Council in the hospital.

They weren't just running away for a vacation, they were also running away as soon as possible, to avoid the reactions of the higher ups of the whole country when they find out that the elders have been beaten down to a pulp by a couple of women. They have stopped for some short detours along the way, looking for a toilet and the like. These detours have been happening constantly.

'_**Stupid uncle and his experimental food...'**_Gaara could not forget nor palate his brother's unfailing toxic cooking that he foolishly ate, tricked into seemingly endless toilet thing that his mother is there to take care and pay attention to him, though that is the only good thing his brother's cuisine has ever given him.

They have spent the night camping by a peak, where they can gaze at the scenery and the stars by a roaring fire. He recalls his mother's face when she had pointed to the brightest star, reminding him of a time when he had wished that they would be together forever.

'_**She looks so pretty when she smiles…'**_He pictures his mom's beauty as a delicate flower or a ray of lazily watches as their copied images chase them as they go, darting his eyes slowly at their constantly moving reflection on the sandy dunes that they wishes that like the desert, this happiness will extend endlessly.

It has been a long time since he has had a time like this, a time when he could look around and wouldn't feel as hostile or as anxious. He could lie down and perhaps take a nap. And maybe he will, just to have an excuse to rest his head again on his mother's lap and hear the song that he so loves, while she brushes his thick red hair. Gaara beams at the thought. What keeps him up and strain from such a temptation, is the fact that he will be going to a new place, a new environment that interests him.

'_**It must be a fun place to be in.'**_He has been smiling a lot lately. It is growing to be a way he grins is awkward at first, somewhat he is learning to react naturally, his expressions more readable than before, and still so radiant and genuine.

The wind is a comforting current, cool and strong enough to keep the heat of the desert tolerable, even as the sun is pouring directly at them. Perhaps it isn't just the weather that is keeping him in a relaxed mood. He looks on to the scenery below. Wonderful as it is, he could not comprehend the security of hearing the familiar voices near to him; their voices, gentle nudging, and their companionship. Even though the place that they are in is as hot and as intolerable as hell, he feels like he is floating by on a cloud or gliding feather, drifting about with ease.

He feels content in this state, together with his most close and cherished family. _**'**__**I don't mind living in this kind of dream for the rest of my life.'**_He sighs.

Sakura, Kankuro and Temari stop their crazy antics to look at the brooding boy's expression that most probably expresses boredom. They look at each other and smile. The sand and the sun look more appealing than it seems to their eyes, if only it had a large body of water to go with it.

"Gaara?" Sakura calls him. The boy answers by tilting his head towards them with a slight jolt to express his alertness. They in turn give a look of opportunity and idea.

"What about we take a break for now?" Kankuro ask his little 's large, confused yet interested eyes blink.

"Aren't we on a break now?" The redhead asks his uncle.

"Well, let's just say that we take a break from going on a break." Kankuro chuckles. Gaara raises his brow at his brother.

'_**You take a lot of breaks…' **_The red head thought.

"It's a long way to Konoha, we better find a place to cool off a bit with this kind of hot weather." Temari explains.

"Oh." The Kazekage simply answers, finding everything to be exciting.

"What about the beach?" The hooded brother suggests.

"That's a great idea!" Sakura adds. "Gaara never went to a beach before, on his second life that is." The pink haired girl gives the boy a light hug, the boy obliges with a smile.

"That's true, and even back then, he wasn't particularly pleased with such an idea." Temari informs.

"Why not?" Sakura asks.

'_**Kaka is making a funny face..' **_The boy projects as he observes his brother.

"He didn't like the way that people were staring at him and all the girls worshiping the land his feet stepped on the whole time we were there." Kankuro is giving an insanely jealous aura as he recalls the many times his brother took every girl's attention with ease. But Gaara didn't know that.

"I see…" Sakura looks at Gaara, not sure whether to give the idea a second thought or imagine his irritated face back then. Instead she just laughs, letting Gaara wonder at what she is laughing about.

'_**She laughed..'**_He takes notice."The beach sounds like fun." Gaara quietly everyone is laughing.

"Here we are," Temari informs. The three passengers scrambled on to one side of the large fan, almost making them tip off.

"Hey, watch it!" The blonde shouts. Sakura and Gaara take the other side this time, acknowledging the fact that Kankuro weighs equally to two people.

"Ahh the sights…the sounds…the beautiful half-clothed women..." The General says as he looks down at the tourists of the beach with glee, his nose already bleeding.

"Uncle, your nose is bleeding." Gaara informs with quaint annoyance.

"Huh? Oh…" Kankuro merely replies as he sloppily wipes the blood with his sleeve.

Sakura thumps his head on the back with her hand in disgust, almost making him fall.

"Everybody hold on. We're landing," The blonde edges forward from her position, lowering her large fan and making them go down gently unto civilization.

"Wohoo! I can see the ladies now!" Kankuro waves enthusiastically to the half naked women on the beach. Gaara looks at his uncle, observing his actions that are rather odd to him. He gives his mother a questioning look. Sakura gives him an assuring pat on the shoulder but also a judgmental shake of the head, telling her son that his uncle is fine and is just being his crazy self but not being a good example towards her son.

The Kazekage still gives a concerned and irritated look at the sight of his oh-so-happy uncle, who is now drooling like a dog. "Aaugh! I can't take it anymore! Move over!" Kankuro shouts as he shoves his sister on one side and takes over their complicated vehicle.

"Hey!" Temari's angry and bewildered expression becomes worry as they plunge down dangerously. She loses her grip from the flank of the fan and joins the other two who try keeping their place on the tail.

"Kankuro!" Sakura shouts from the end, keeping Gaara down with her arm. The people below look on to the peculiar looking group flying unsteadily.

"Goin' down!" The guy maniacally laughs as he let go of his hold and heavily steps down on the fan's nose, making them fall even faster.

"You idiot!" The two girls say before they all start to fall at a very fast rate, now without the safety of the fan beneath them. The red head at first didn't realize they are falling down to their deaths, seeing that his uncle is having so much fun falling with them. Honestly, he has thought it was rather fun as well, liking the wind rushing from below. It feels like he is flying.

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**OASIS:** Sunday/**50 miles from **/**Sabaku Himitsu Ai**/**Eighth Region, 6th Border**/**9:30 AM**/**Tourist Bus**

"_The Oasis is the magnificent summer capital of Suna that is constantly visited by millions of tourists from around the world._ _A sophisticated and one of a kind metropolis residing by the coastlines of the desert's largest body of water is known as the Kaze Beach. _ _The Kaze Beach is the main attraction of the Oasis. Although the beach is supposedly a lake, _ _it is called a beach due to its salty sands rich in minerals condition and awesome surf waves that are made possible with its massive size, appropriate depth and constant strong winds._

_The word 'Kaze', meaning wind, is taken from the great and current overlord of Suna known as the Kazekage. _ _Sabaku no Gaara, current Kazekage and the son of the late Kage,_ _created the capital by unintentionally striking an underground water vein that naturally surfaced after his critical powerful blow against attacking enemies."_

A black long haired pale skinned man laughs lightly, interrupting his assistant's narration. "That'ssss… not how it haappeened…" He says with a weak deceiving like voice, slithering his tongue on squid stuffed Takoyaki, a local delicacy.

**Orochimaru.** The most wanted man in all villages. Well, half man half… something; specifically speaking. He is wearing unusual clothes for his features, showing more of his sickly translucent skin than usual. A floral Hawaiian printed shirt with a string of macadamia nuts around his neck, and a pair of cargo shorts that shows off his bony legs and a pair of wooden slippers that do not cover his…feet. His long black hair is fixed into a ponytail, only leaving some stray hair to look more casual, fashioning a straw hat to give some color to his dark textured look. He fails to hide his golden green defiant eyes with a pair of small dim sunglasses.

He looks like Ozzy Osbourne.

"Well, that's how the brochure explains it." A light blue-haired assistant points out from the piece of paper, while adjusting his rather large glasses.

**Kabuto. A.K.A: Sharon.** The second most wanted man in all villages. The right hand henchman of Orochimaru. Just like his master, he is wearing casual clothes that he does not wear on a regular basis. They put off their normally dark evil garments to be disguised as tourists who are simply enjoying their break out of their usual demented activities. The assistant is wearing a visor, a short sleeved checkered polo and a pair of shorts and sandals; not to mention his usual pair of glasses. Currently he finds his occupation to be adequate, although at times he wonders why he had to go through med school in order to be mere minion.

"You sshhould know… You were there with me avoiding all hisss… 'unintentional ssstrikesss'…" His evilness says with air quotes. Kabuto finds his master's air quotes rather hilarious, but too petty as an attempt of delinquency.

"I don't think he even recognized us at that time." The light-blue haired young man with glasses recalls darkly.

"Perhapsss… He needed to vvvent out on something… Unfortunately, we were consssidered as targetsss…" His master says thoughtfully.

"How could someone make so much rage that it turned into all of this?" His servant asks.

"He got it from hisss father, a very angry man… But thisss boy… is ridiculousssly frightful…" Orochimaru reasons, recalling his younger days, back when he was still somewhat 'alive', witnessing of just how horribly sick the former dictator Kazekage was. "I musssst ssssaay… I am a ffaan of hissss father'ssss work…" The raven haired villain explains.

"You do know that you can stop with the fake villain accent, right?" Kabuto brings up, annoyed at his master's long slurs. Orochimaru simply replies with a flick of his tongue. "Your minions are not here with you, except for me." He adds, adjusting his glasses and turning to the next page of the brochure.

"My villainous voicceee isss not intensshional…" His master defends himself, gracefully defining his woeful voice.

"Sir, you are of Okinawa origin." Kabuto points out.

"Ssso?" Orochimaru aks.

"Your accent is most probably kansai -" The man with glasses is interrupted before he could continue.

"And?" The black haired snake-like creature asks.

"Master, you're not even half a snake. You're half a sea serpent." Kabuto reveals.

A moment of awkward silence. The master smiles naively at his servant. Kabuto sighs.

"Anyway, they probably left out the fact that it was us who was trying to enter the city…" The blue haired man reasons.

"Sssss…" The pale man chews another takoyaki while taking a picture of women wearing Hawaiian costumes.

"We were only going to get some dried blow fish for your stupid weird cravings," Kabuto continues.

"Sssss…" Orochimaru plays with his tongue, showing it off by waving with his tongue at the girls who in turn look back with horrified faces.

"He just came raging out of nowhere. He didn't even know who he was messing with…"

"Sssss…"

"Like we were mere toys he could put his anger out or something…"

"Sssss…"

"…"

Kabuto stands from his side seat, about to give him a piece of his mind. The smirk of his boss is giving him the shivers. "Alright, alright, I'll stop." The cruel master laughs, now casually talking with him without his 'accent'. Surprisingly, he has a clear and manly mild mannered voice.

"Good." Kabuto goes back to his seat with pleased relief, having achieved his goal. "Now then, do you want me to continue?" The servant confirms.

"Sure, sure…" Orochimaru lazily answers, knowing any more disruption on his concentration might trouble his OCD friend.

"_Oasis is conveniently located at the middle of the desert, which makes the small yet modern city true to its name. _ _It is a wonderful place for travelers to refresh themselves as they enjoy the beautiful sights and events that paradise has to offer." _The villian's assistant narrates.

"Hey." His master starts, about to disrupt yet again. This does not stop Kabuto from reading on with his paper.

"_Since the discovery of an underground water on the desert, _ _miners and pioneers alike have worked through the land's rich and natural resources and found gold and other semi precious stones, as well as natural hot spring locations nearby. _ _The people made use of these resources by opening spas and all sorts of recreation and design such as the statue of the Kazekage, a symbol of his supremacy, located in the heart of the city to commemorate the founding of Oasis."_ The man with glasses continues.

"Oi…" Orochimaru nudges him, pointing at the commotion from outside. But his assistant ignores him.

"_Feel free to shop and bargain at low prices on our local Bazaar, similar to that found in Suna but with more specific merchandise that compliments the growing culture of-"_

"Pst!" The sea serpent man taps him on the shoulder this time.

"What?" His assistant irritably replies.

"Is that supposed to be some stunt or something? Or falling carcasses?" He asks his flustered servant, pointing to the window. Kabuto looks out the window along with the other tourists, who are taking pictures of the current happening.

"What _is_ that?" He mumbles in wonder as he adjusts his glasses and peers closer from the moving window. Three unidentified, waving hysterically, looking objects; and a huge fan are falling from the sky.

"Are those birds?" One of the onlookers asks his fellow bus group members.

"Nah, they're too big and juicy looking to be chicken." Orochimaru answers with interest.

"Then what are they?" Another of the tourists asks. "Hmm…" The snake villain looks like he is deep in thought.

"What about a plane?" One of the photographers suggested.

"Please, a plane? They're too small to be plane debris." A rather cocky person answers with a scoff.

"Sky divers?" Another excitedly suggests while taking pictures.

"No, they should be wearing parachutes if they are purposely falling at such a dangerously close height.." Kabuto answers, humbly assisting them.

"Well, whatever they are, they look yummy!" The hungry pale dark arts master said, bringing out his drooling tongue and raising his hand like he was on an auction. "I get dibs!" Orochimaru shouts, waving frantically. The blue-haired assistant closes his eyes in embarrassment and puts his hand on his shaking head.

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**THE LAND OF WIND: **Sunday/**Stratosphere**/**Mid-air**/**Above the Beach Side **/**Coastline of Oasis**/**10:00 AM**

"WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Kankuro shouts.

"Weee…" Gaara tries to follow with appropriate emotion. But seeing his aunt and mother desperately getting a hold of him and shouting as they do, trying to find a way out of the situation, he realized soon enough before they pummel down even further. "Mom!" He calls out, reaching out to her, taking her hand and then getting his aunt's hand as well. The three hold on to each other as they continue to go down.

"What about Kankuro?" Sakura shouts, looking at one side, seeing the guy falling at a far distance.

"He'll be fine!" Temari answers back.

Gaara pours his sand below them. The sand automatically splashes rapidly unto them and forms to a somewhat net like structure. It then slows the rate that they are going. The girls give out a sigh as they float down, almost touching the water. The other guy on the other hand, lands face down painfully on to the beach, like crashing on to concrete with a huge splash. Almost all of the bystanders seem to twitch their eye, and silently say their own sympathetic cuss, looking at the poor man fall hard.

"Ouch." is all Temari could say. That would pretty much sum up what they are thinking.

"I probably should have gotten a hold of him too?" Gaara asks.

"No hun, sometimes stupid people need some nudges to keep them from doing stupid things. This is just one huge nudge." Temari assures him with a pat on the back before jumping on to the water, not needing any help as she makes her way to land. "Plus, his stupidity might be contagious. You better not touch his hand." His auntie adds.

Gaara automatically assists Sakura by giving her a hand to step off from the now dissolving net like sand unto the safety of the shallow waters. The three walk on to safety, dragging their feet, being pushed forward by the waves. More and more people came, aiming to be bystanders or to help in any way that they can. The lifeguards pull out Kankuro from the sea, and let him rest on the sand on his back as they tend to him.

"Is he alright?" Sakura asks with worry, looking at the growing crowd circling the seemingly unconscious man lying on the ground.

Temari gives a quick glance having found what she finds to be normal behavior. Kankuro lies on the shore being surrounded by mostly women life guards, a huge smirk playing on his face.

"Don't worry, leave 'im. He's more than fine." She concludes coldly, her thoughts now elsewhere. "Let's get going, I want to check out their swim wear." The blonde beckons the mother and son, walking out of the scene.

"Sir, are you alright?" A long blonde haired girl using a red one piece swim suit asks, looking down innocently at Kankuro who is seemingly lifeless. She is looking at him face to face. Kankuro opens one eye slowly, peering at the image so close up.

"Juuuussst Fyyyyynneee," Kankuro whispers, puckering his lips.

"Pardon?" the poor girl asks.

Gaara who is holding his mother's hand gingerly as they follow his aunt, turns his head to look back at his 'uncle' brother with concern. He has never seen him lie still quietly like that, without moving or making a sound.

"Maybe you should do mouth to mouth resuscitation?" The woman beside the blonde lifeguard advises. The man lying below would wag his tail frantically if he had one, instead he gives a happy-to-die grin.

The boy notices that his uncle isn't answering despite the woman's calls. Even though the life guard is already inappropriately close, Kankuro wouldn't move. Usually it will take less than a second for his uncle to react on a woman's touch. With the sand on his feet, Gaara could feel his uncle breathing well. He thus concludes that perhaps he's just a little bit unconscious.

"Sir?" the girl calls out again, this time coming even closer. Seeing that his uncle is rather rude for not answering her back, he decides to give him slight pinch using his sand on his brother's side. Thinking, as his aunt would say it, that giving a 'nudge' would to teach him a lesson.

"Yeouwch!" Kankuro yelps, immediately bringing half of his torso upright and giving the poor girl, who was so close in front of him, a head butt in return of her assistance.

"Ow!" The girl reacts as she loses her balance but thankfully, she is cushioned by the group of girls behind her.

"What bit me?" The insensitive guy exclaims as he jumps out of his favored composure.

"It hurts…" The girl whimpers, holding on to her now swelling forehead that is now turning into one nasty bump.

"What the… You were faking it?" The woman beside her now injured friend points out.

"Huh?" He says in mock ignorance and finds his supposedly noisy group of concerned beautiful lifeguards rather quiet and menacing.

"You were doing it on purpose!" Another of the women reacts. He turns around to find the women glaring at him with disgust.

"Oh… Umm… Hello ladies!" He gives his best smile while waving at the crowd.

His effort of lightening the mood is failing, due to the dripping purple ink contorting his face; making him look more of a molester than an average friendly looking-

"Pervert!" The girls shout, pointing at him.

"What? Wait!" He tries reaching out to them, still trying to give a passable grin with a nervous laugh. But in their eyes it is like he is about to lunge at them with an insane happy malicious intent while laughing maniacally.

"Kyyyaaaaa!" The woman who he injured with his forehead screams as she slaps him on the face.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Kankuro questions.

"Don't touch me, molester!" The woman proclaims.

"M-molester? Woah now, you got it all wrong!" Kankuro reasons, denying everything. "What's going on in there?" One of the men spectators shouts back, approaching them.

Now he is getting more attention than he had bargained for, even getting some alarmed faces by nearby buff guy life guards.

"There's a pervert on the beach!" The women shout. "Somebody get him!" Another orders.

"A pervert? Where?" A life guard asks.

"He's over here!" They shout, holding on to him as they call out for more people.

"Hey, hey, hey! Stop screaming!" Kankuro tries to make them quiet down, but to no avail. And the names just keep on coming.

"You perv! Hentai!" The girls describe towards him.

"I was just kidding! Honest!" The General says, laughing nervously.

'_**Ahh… so this is what aunty mean by a nudge…'**_The boy prods silently watching the scene grow into a looks on with amused and indifferent feelings towards his deservingly to be punished for some sort of leeway, Kankuro sees his little brother relishing his punishment."H-hey, Gaara! Help!" His big brother boy gives him a confused look. _**'**__**Help he says… from harmless girls?**_

"Come on boy! Help me!" The general shouts. The red haired boy sighs and shakes his head, watching as his uncle is slowly being mobbed by the women. "You're just gonna leave your brother here? Oi!" The hooded man complains. Gaara looks at the increasing numbers of feminine protesters, finding it rather too troublesome to help.

"See you later, Kaka Uncle." The redhead waves nonchalantly with a smile, ignoring the sea of angry people about to mangle his brother, and then walks away.

"What the? Hey boy! Don't leave me here!" His uncle calls out to him desperately.

The horrors of possible pinching and squabbling over him, not to mention, that he would never hurt any form that would be the likeness of his mother...** '**_**I don't think so…'**_

"Arrrghh!" His uncle's voice drowns from the pummeling crowd.

'_**Don't worry, Kaka uncle… your attempts shall not be in vain..'**_He'd rather leave him be and learn from his dear uncle's mistakes.

"Gaara-bear!" Sakura beckons him. He turns away from the appalling scene without hesitation to face her with a brilliant attentive and caring smile. Her complexion is glowing with the sun waking from the background, the light lining on to her skin, making her look even more compelling. He goes to her without a word, eager to be near to her, and perhaps hold her hand as they go on their way.

"Here, hold my hand." Sakura says, offering her hand.

Those words echo on to Gaara's ears. He stares at the offering that she has given for a little while before taking it wholeheartedly.

"You could get lost with all the people around, so don't let go okay?" Haruno advises.

"Okay." Gaara quietly answers, nodding with absolute obedience, still smiling on with glee.

.

* * *

.

**OASIS: **Sunday/**Kamehame**/**A traditional seafaring district**/**10 miles to Coastline of Kaze Beach**/**Tourist Bus**/**10:15 AM**

"Are we there yet?" Orochimaru asks, fanning himself with a complimentary tourist bus fan.

"Not yet." Kabuto replies, still reading the oasis brochure.

"What about now…?"

"No." He says with more frustration from having to answer his question over and over again.

"Now…?"

"…"

Orochimaru hits his assistant's head with his fan to purposely get his attention.

"No."Kabuto grits his teeth.

"Aww…" The ancient man pouts with his dead blue lips.

"Are we-" The Sanin is about to do another round of annoying repetitive question when Kabuto finds just what he is looking for to end the bothersome routine.

"Master, we arrived." The man with glasses says with relief.

"Really? Really? Yaaay!" His master shouts waving his hands up high like a kid. "Where? Where?" Orochimaru ask eagerly. **It is like handling a child.**

"There! Right there!" Kabuto thrusts his master's head to the window, causing some bleeding. Orochimaru gives a demonic squeal seeing the gorgeous women tossing volleyball around and running playfully.

"Yess… Yess! Look Kabuto… Look how tasssty they are! Muhahahaha!"

His master reverts to villain mode. Kabuto sighs. Orochimaru's insane personality is giving him a headache. Too bad he didn't have his usual Advil pills with him. He has to make some sort of excuse to keep his master away from any future disruptions to their said vacation, or risk prolonged exposure to a painful migraine.

"It's unfortunate that the bus isn't going to stop here for long…" Kabuto says with a smile.

"What? Why noooot?" His master whines openly without a care in the world.

"I think it's connected with what fell from the sky recently, not to mention that they are trying to get a molester near the premises. I am afraid that when we get out of the bus, they will most likely think that you are that person that they are looking for." The light-blue haired man responds.

"Oh come on, do I look like a molester to you?" Orochimaru asks and gives an innocent grin. Unfortunately, his servant could not see any amount of truth to what he wants to portray.

"Of course not, Master…" Kabuto pats Orochimaru's back encouragingly. The pale man agrees at his own appeal by nodding eagerly like a dog.

The blue haired guy pats his head in return. "You're more of a pedophile."

Orochimaru's imaginary doggy ears and wagging tail drooped.

.

* * *

**.**

OASIS:Sunday/**Kaze Beach**/**Apparel and Recreational Centre**/**10:30 AM**

"What about this?" Temari asks as she enthusiastically shows her bathing suit to her 'sister' and 'nephew.' Wearing an ordinary black one piece, she exits the dressing room and poses for them and the body mirror next to her. Sakura figures that the blonde is going to choose something like this. She looks at her knowingly, giving her an idea that what she chose wasn't really what she wants for her. Gaara thought it is like any other clothing Temari wore. It is hardly any different except for the fact that she is wearing one that actually shows her legs and her back. "I'm a failure." She laughs at herself.

"No you're not. You already know what looks good on you." Sakura disagrees, as she takes the clothes Temari rejected from the rack. "W-wait, those are a little-" Temari hesitantly obliges as she is pushed back with the clothes given to her. "Now, now, just try them on…" Sakura encourages, pulling back the curtains and letting her dress for herself. The boy finds this activity rather time consuming, and somewhat unnecessary. But perhaps he only feels this way due to the fact that he wears the swim wear chosen for him, hassle free. They are women after all, they have to be different.

"You auntie is going to be really cute as soon as she comes out of there…" Sakura says to her son with an enthusiastic smile. Another thing that Gaara finds hard to understand, is how women are supposed to look cute with what they wear. The only definition of cute that he knows of is that of his said panda and froggy jammies, which he now has outgrown. He finds that kind of 'cute' to be the rather comfortable and huggable kind of cuteness.

"Well…?" His sister goes out this time, in a more attractive and flattering outfit. Sakura jumps as she claps with approval. Gaara looks at her with a surprised look.

"It looks so good on you!" Sakura compliments.

"Really?" The blonde now wears a violet bikini top with a pair of sporty mini shorts. It is a different side that Gaara didn't see of his big sister, and she really does look better in it than her usual formal neutral colours. Temari looks just as pleased as she looks at herself on the mirror. She just needs a push of confidence to pull it off. Feeling a bit more excited than usual with wardrobe taste, she takes a pair of clothing she thought would be good with Sakura and show it to her, watching as the med nin's eyes widen from the shock.

"I, um… I'm not sure about this…" Gaara's mom reasons.

"Come on, try it on! It's your turn!" Temari urges, giving her the two piece suit.

"Er… I don't think it's good to wear it with Gaara around and well…" Sakura tries to excuse herself.

"Sakura, do you really think that he would mind?" The blonde then asks. The two girls look at the boy who looks just as curious.

"Well… I guess I could try it on…" Haruno hesitantly obliges. Her friend in turn, pushes her to the dressing room with enthusiasm.

Gaara doesn't like where this is going, if his aunt is as gorgeous as she is now, his mom would be mesmerizing. But as much as he doesn't want other people to pay attention to mommy, he wants to see this different side of her as well. Temari notices her brother's edgy reaction, his anxious face reflecting on the mirror. His sister gives an impish grin, wanting to toy with her beloved little brother in this situation. "Close your eyes, Gaara-bear…" The blue-eyed young woman takes his hands and puts them over his eyes.

"Why?" He asks.

"You'll get a surprise!" She cheerfully answers.

He keeps his hands on his eyes without hesitation, thinking that he will indeed have a surprise.

"Hey… I don't these they fit me… They're kinda small…" Sakura complains uncomfortably behind the curtain.

"Come out so I can see what it looks like!" Temari tries to get a peek, but Sakura keeps swiping her hand before she could even reach. "Come on, No one else is around!" The blonde reasons. Sakura sighs, an anxious frown reflects on the mirror as she takes one last turn before seriously thinking about it.

"Fine…" Haruno half-heartedly agrees.

Sakura hesitantly goes out of the stall and stands numb as she is being stared at by not only Temari, but also the other shoppers who have grown in numbers after taking a second look at the blonde in a lavender two pieced bikini.

"I wish I had a camera…" Temari says, grinning at the result of her coaxing. Sakura gives her a totally against the idea gesture by resting her hands on her hips, making her even hotter to the seeing public. "I wonder what Naruto would think about that outfit!" Temari cheers, imagining the idea of a bloody nosed Naruto gawking at her from a distance.

"Temari!" Sakura's face growing rose red, not because she is embarrassed, but because her friend's idea of making that perv Naruto see her in that outfit would make her furious.

"Or even Sasuke…" Temari begins to taunt with a big smirk. Sakura scoffs and rolls her eyes, giving her the sign that she didn't want to get to that sort of topic any further.

"Wha-" Sakura brings her attention to the small boy who obediently stands without a noise, his hands still clamped tight on his eyes.

"Why is Gaara covering his eyes…?" Sakura questions as she leans in and brushes her boy's hair, trying to see if there is anything wrong with her son.

"You can open your eyes now..." Temari laughs.

Then the mother realizes why he is keeping his eyes closed in the first place, immediately she backs away, concerned of having Gaara see her in an inappropriate outfit. "W-wait Gaara, don't-"

But it was too late; he does as he is told. He uncovers his eyes to see a rare and beautiful sight. Sakura stands in a rather awkward and worried stance as her son looks at her from head to toe. Her now long pink hair rests in her bare shoulders, complimented by a bright red two piece bikini and flip flops that goes with her sea green eyes. Gaara's mom was taller than she usually was from his perception. She is slender and agile kind of person, he knows that well. To him, Mother is someone who is independent and strong and loving towards him. But seeing this different side of her was raising emotions he is confused and not aware of.

Gaara stares, not knowing what to do, not knowing what to say as Temari dabbles on about the outfit she is wearing.

"Maybe I should change on a more modest outfit. Everyone will be looking our way…" Sakura points out from the compliments she is taking from Temari, finding Gaara to be non reactive worries her. "It'll be fine, so what if there are more eyes gawking at us more than usual? We'll just act like some celebrities from a different country, no one will find out." The blonde insists. "I don't know…" Sakura replies, feeling a little insecure.

"Why are you feeling modest all of a sudden, and you were saying that I should be more of a rebel when it comes to clothing..." Temari crosses her arms, defining her point.

"I did say that, didn't I?" Sakura scratches her head, accepting her friend's reason. Temari couldn't help noticing her brother's reaction; looking too stunned to say anything. She finds it amusing. "What's wrong, honey? Are you okay?" She pats Gaara strongly in the back, making him stutter. Sakura is still Sakura to him, but for some reason he finds himself wanting to cover her from the masses and protect her from those that come near her. He is starting to get a little possessive.

'_**No…She's mine.'**_ He growls.

"Gaara-bear? Honey?" Sakura asks him with concern.

"You look pretty, Mom." The boy compliments with a perfect smile. "Really?" She asks. He nods curtly.

"So are you going to take it?" The blonde asks. Sakura takes a second look at Gaara, who looks at her with a seemingly approving smile. She then in turn gives him a smile. He can't back down now.

"If it's fine with Gaara, then I guess its fine with me." She now answers with a more comfortable posture.

'_**Well I guess it's fine…I'll just have to drown those who dare to go near her in dirt.'**_He follows the two women darkly, his eyes darting in every direction, glaring at those who are looking at her.

Instantly they are surrounded by numerous eyes, many of them pointing and calling other people to check out the most beautiful women on the beach.

"That reminds me… We haven't talked about that snide jerk for a while, how is he? Got any leads?"

.

* * *

.

OASIS:Sunday/Kaze Beach/**Front of Beach Coastline**/**Beach benches**/**11:00 AM**

The two villainous men enjoy a pair of chairs that are sprawled on the beach, enjoying the view of sexy half naked women while enjoying ice cold drinks. "Kabuto…" Orochimaru beckons his servant.

The blue haired guy slurps on a tall berry smoothie. "Yes Sir?" He replies.

His master notices all the people going to one direction, shouting at each other to go on that direction. "Why are people being caused to runaway other than yours truly?" He asks. The evil snake dude is used to people running around, by it usually includes him on the mix. This instance to him was extraordinary.

"Well Master, it appears that women celebrities has entered the kazekage beach in attractive ensembles…"

"Really? Where?" Orochimaru is about to stand up when Kabuto brings him back down with his arm.

He slurps a large amount before facing his incompetent sensei once again, tightening his heavy grip on the dead man's shoulder. He tells him off, at first calmly, "Sir, with great respect, you have dragged me almost everywhere in this **#$%** oasis, going through all ***(^&^%*^** forms of **#$^%^#** food because of your **%$!^&^** taste, hunted down all sorts of **%$^%$** women on this **%^&** area when we should be having a ***$%$** break on your **%$#&^ **good for nothing **#^%^** villain **$^%^!** **#$$#$%! %$^#^!** Don't you dare **#$%^** around or I swear I'll **$%&^%&&%$!**."

"….."

"…."

"Okay okay, sheesh… you're such a hot head."

"I apologize…"

"Kill joy."

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"Ssssss…"

"…"

"Ssssss."

"**!#%$%!"**

.

* * *

.

OASIS:Sunday/Kaze Beach/**Beach Coastline**/**11:30 AM**

"You mean Sasuke?" Sakura didn't really want to delve on with the subject, but the staring of the public is getting her rather conscious, having a little mindless conversation might ease the pressure.

"Yeah, I heard that he is still hunting for his brother, having learned that his brother has left the Akatsuki a long time ago, he lost his lead..." Temari continues. To keep her friend from trying to cover herself, she takes a hold of her arm while her little brother is holding on to her mother's other hand possessively.

"Well, the stubborn idiot just wouldn't quit. At least that is keeping him busy from anything Orochimaru has planned." Sakura informs.

"What does he have planned for Sasuke anyway?" The blonde asks her. "I have no idea…" The pink haired kunoichi answers ominously.

.

* * *

.

OASIS:Sunday/Kaze Beach/**Beach Benches**/**11:35 AM**

"So… is our guinea pig coming or not?" Kabuto asks his master.

"You mean my lovable hottie, hottie girlish son of mine?" The blue faced villain replies while licking a Popsicle stick.

"…he's not your son…" His servant corrects.

"Of course he is! He is my lovey dovey long lost son who I love very much!" Orochimaru starts hugging himself and screaming like a homo, rolling at the sandy floor like crazy.

How humiliating. His master is so giddy when it comes to Sasuke, that Kabuto wants to puke.

"If that guy won't get a move on, he'll miss the whole thing…" Kabuto continues.

"I know right?" Orochimaru points out like a girl, by putting his index finger on his blue lip. "But then again, if he does come, I can't even describe the events that will happen…"

.

* * *

.

OASIS:Sunday/Kaze Beach/**Side of Beach Coastline**/**Food and Refreshments stalls**/**12:00 PM**

They notice an ice cream stall in one side. "Hey, let's get some ice cream!" Temari offers, taking both her nephew and sister's hand and pulled them to the stall.

"Gaara, do you want one?" Sakura asks. The boy gets over the staring crowd quickly, having forgotten his self conscious condition and focuses on the guys who ogled on his mother. "Gaara…" She calls out to him. As much as he is distracted by the perverted looks the guys are giving to his mom, he is just as alert when it comes to listening to her voice. "Gaara-bear?" Sakura bends down to listen to his son, which she usually does. "What flavor would you like?" She asks.

Every guy envies the boy as they look on, their eyes about to fall off any minute.

"Cherry!" Gaara enthusiastically answers.

"Cherry for me too!" Someone shouts and hoots at the background. "And lots of it!" Three guys with surfboards hanging on the side are checking Sakura and Temari out like crazy, looking at the girls up and down and making dirty remarks. Sakura haven't really notice, but Gaara sure does. When Sakura takes his hand and looks away to go over to the ice cream stall, Gaara makes a wall of sand collapse at the three idiots, making them topple over with their boards. Gaara licks his ice cream with delight.

Until they start walking again. He lost his appetite when a guy comes over and goes to mom, face to face.

"Hey there cutie," the guy says with a flirty grin. "Uhh… Hey…" She replies respectfully before going with Temari on the side. "How's it going?" The guy looks rather attractive, making him naturally obnoxious about his appeal. "Move aside kid." The jerk mumbles hastily to Gaara, before blocking him away from Sakura and pushing him aside. Gaara is shocked, so is Temari.

"Hoho..." The blonde sister snickers, covering her grinning mouth as she watch Gaara react from such an atrocious act.

No one pushed Gaara away before, not even in his past life. Then again, it isn't like he needs to be pushed away from someone he loves dearly. As family that is.

"Fine I guess, great weather…" Sakura couldn't really see behind of what the guy has done, the boy thankfully lands on the soft ground. Gaara looks on, seething. Temari looks on as well, perfectly comfortable at the background, happily enjoying her vanilla ice cream, enjoying the moment.

"I haven't seen you ladies on these parts, are you tourists? Not that it's a bad thing..." He keeps getting closer, almost touching her skin.

Gaara's blood seems to pulsate intensely just by looking at the guy hover at Sakura. He grips the sand with his fists in irritation.

"I can give both of you ladies a tour; get you some VIP's on the hottest parties..." He closes in on her, like they are going to kiss.

"You name it…" He whispers will looking down at Sakura's cleavage. The girl raises her brow, but she is not as alarmed as her boy is. Temari snickers, loving the reactions of Gaara that she is witnessing. Sakura, on the other hand, doesn't really want to prolong the conversation, her ice cream is melting.

"Um, do you mind? My ice cream is melting and well…" Sakura reasons.

"No! No! I don't mind. In fact…" The perverted guy puts his arm around Sakura. "I don't mind licking that little smudge of ice cream in your lips either…"

That did it. Before the guy is going to give an uncalled for kiss to Sakura, Gaara uses his sand to hit his legs and make him fall. "What the-" The obnoxious guy's friends start to laugh at his predicament. "Ow, ow, ow… My butt… Who was that? Who dared to me trip off?" The guy starts looking all over the place. Everyone is pointing at Gaara. "You!?" He pulls the kid and lifts him up by the sides. "You're dead, kid." He grins menacingly.

Gaara stares back without fear. **Bring it on, old man.**

"Hey! Let go of him!" Sakura goes to his side, followed by Temari.

"I apologize for what he did to you, but he's just a kid, could you forgive him please?" Sakura asks with good manners.

The guy, finding that he has an advantage over this situation, looks at her with a smug face.

"Of course I can, hahaha…" He looks at the kid with a fake smile. He brings the kid down, like he was holding a puppy, and brushes his thick red hair like he is handling a mop. "I'll let this one go, since I'm a good guy after all…" He says, covering his anger with his sickening words. "But as a reward, how about you and I make out? Hm?" He brings his hands around her waist, and is about to kiss her.

Even before Gaara is about to drag him down with his sand, Sakura uses her ice cream to cover his puckered lips. She takes his son's hand, and they leave the scene.

"Boys are jerks these days…" Sakura states.

"You said it…" Temari adds. Gaara looks at both of them, as if they are talking about him. "Except for you, honey." Sakura says sweetly.

Both of the girls give him a kiss on the forehead. The guys look on at the three with the same thought: Lucky Bastard.

.

* * *

.

OASIS:Sunday/Kaze Beach/**Front of Kaze Beach Coastline**/**Beach Benches Area**/**2:00 PM**

"Hmm…" He brings his sunglasses down for a moment. A pink haired girl has caught his attention. "That's odd…" Orochimaru projects. Kabuto ignores his master, now enjoying a heaping bowl of sweetened ice. "I just saw a flash of pink hair... rare…" The sickly skinned villain says while contemplating on such a weird occurrence.

"Really? That's interesting…" Says the assistant. Despite his monotonous reaction, he tries to amuse his master by agreeing with him.

"Which reminds me... I wonder what that monstrous pink haired kunoichi will do when he will be present at the event…" Orochimaru adjusts his straw hat to look up at the lazy afternoon sky.

"Well, it's uncertain that's for sure. But it will be something to look forward to." Kabuto grins, seriously hoping that his colleague will be joining them at the event, relishing the idea of doom.

"Ahh yes… A delicious nightmare." Orochimaru grins evilly. The two men give a toast on such a possibly horrible circumstance.

.

* * *

.

OASIS:Sunday/Kaze Beach/**Kaze Beach Coastline**/**2:30 PM**

The two girls looking relaxed and contented with their Hawaiian wraps outfits enjoy a pair of coconut, followed by a rather fatigued looking boy huffing from behind. They have been walking at a rather abandoned looking part of the beach, having lost the crowd and enjoying their own company. "Ahhh… that was a wonderful break!" Temari happily stretches her arms in the air.

"I enjoyed it too, did you enjoy it, Gaara-bear?" Sakura asks, sipping Coconut shake.

"Yep…" Gaara merely answered, having lost his pep from furiously keeping the men away from the both of them. But he is quite pleased at himself, for protecting his mom, just the way he wanted to.

"I had a lot of fun, mom." He deducts, loving her smile, and the fact that her then bikini outfit is now covered with just as attractive but more modest clothing. He gives a sigh of relief.

"By the way, where did Kankuro-idiot go?" Temari wonders.

"Puuah!" A guy comes out of the shores, just on the one side of where they are working. He is covered in seaweed; it looks like he has been there for a while, suffering on sunburn.

"Are they gone yet?" He asks the three groggily.

"Kankuro…?" Sakura asks the green blob thing. He coughs out a fish from his mouth.

"Those girls have been chasing after me everywhere…" The general tells them.

"Aww… Poor Uncle Kaka… You okay?" The blonde asks. "Haha…" Kankuro laughs as he removes seaweed from his head. "Hahahaha…" He continues to react in insane jubilation.

The two girls look at each other. **Has he gone mad?**

"I was chased after by girls… GIRLS!" He drops into the sandy ground and laughs maniacally. "Ahh… bliss… I am so good looking that they had to run after me…" He concludes, hugging himself.

**Too late.**

**.**

* * *

.

**THE LAND OF FIRE: **Sunday/**Stratosphere**/**Above Forest Country**/**Leaf Region**/**4:00 PM**

It has been a long day, but for these three, it is just beginning. After a nice break from reality, they are now on their way, back to challenges and possible chaos. The sun is setting in the horizon, the warm breeze making the flight on the huge fan a cloud.

"Mom…?" Gaara calls out to her. Sakura looks down at her son, his head resting on her lap.

"Are we there yet?" The Kazekage asks. She smiles back and looks at Temari and Kankuro, who are both smiling and looking down. She looks down as well, and sees the familiar city, the Hokage tower, the monument of the past leaders of Konoha.

"Yes honey, we arrived." Haruno replies.

**To Gaara, the whole trip seems to be such a wonderful dream. But this dream is already turning into a nightmare.**

Temari lowers her hold on the fan, making them go down and swirl smoothly to the ground. Some people are waiting, waving from below. He steps down from her aunt's fan and raises his hand to get his mom's hand to help her step down with ease. But she isn't there. "Naruto!" Sakura calls out to the person walking to their direction. He hears her voice, but it isn't calling to him, but to a foreign person he does not know. "Mom…?" Gaara turns around to see Sakura run towards the direction of people, someone coming after her as well.

He is about to attack whoever was going to go near her… but… She is smiling, not for him, but for this guy, looking right at him. And then she gives this guy a hug, and this annoying guy hugs back. This blonde irritating dude is making her laugh and be comfortable around him so easily. It is pissing Gaara off.

Kankuro is too busy ogling over the locals, and Temari is too anxious of the fact that she actually arrived to the place where her ex-boyfriend lives. No one is taking notice. At how jealous Gaara is. But what really ticks him off the most, was that Sakura gives this guy a kiss on the cheek. **'Who the fu-' **The red head mentally thought, instantly summoning his sand.

"Gaara!" She waves to him, telling the boy to come over.

The red head obeys silently, walking as slow and as steady as he can, keeping all the tension on his fists. Just in case he is allowed to make a good punch on this guy's face.

The tall agile yellow haired guy looks at him, with an eerie sense of both familiarity and unawareness.

"Is he..." Naruto looks at Sakura for affirmation. She nods with a serious face.

"Gaara-bear..." She takes him by the shoulders. He lets her.

"This is a friend of yours… Naruto." She tells her son. The Kazekage looks up at the guy. He's taller than he thought from where he was.

"Hey there, little guy…" Naruto bends down to look at him face to face. He has honest and happy blue eyes, with a charming mischievous smile. "Nice to meet you." He offers his hand to him, waiting for Gaara to shake his hand. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. What's yours?"

He, in turn, does not react to his introduction of this intimidating man before him. Instead of giving a normal automatic reply, he concentrates on memorizing the name that he will possibly wipe out from the face of the earth. _**'**__**Uzumaki… Naruto…'**_ Sakura looks on at the two, hoping that somehow they will have an instant connection together that would make Gaara remember some of his memories. The boy looks at his mother, who seems to be anticipating a lot from this meeting. He does not want to fail her; he wants to keep her smiling. Like this guy. _**'I don't know who you are…'**_

Naruto patiently awaits his reply, his hand still hanging. As much as he wants to smile to the both of them, he couldn't. Too upset that his mother has a relationship with this rather shiny looking guy that he is not aware of. But he wants to be at least a little social for mom. He hesitantly takes Naruto's hand and shakes it faintly. _**'But… I don't like you.'**_ Gaara concludes by himself. Naruto readily accepts, shaking back enthusiastically. Sakura is pleased, looking at the rather normal interaction. "Sabaku no… Gaara…" The Kazekage says with a quiet but not meek voice. "Nice to meet you... Friend."

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**Gaara's Age: ** **Twelve Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **4 Months**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	13. His first Night out

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His First Night Out"**

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**Gaara's Current Age:** **12 Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **Four Months**

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Uzumaki Naruto. He has stunning blonde yellow hair that is like that of a new dawn, radiant and glowing like young fire. The colour and the texture of the rising sun. He stands before him like a tall sturdy ancient tree… no… a mountain, full of life. Life that flickers excitedly within, reflected by his eyes. His lively thrashing ocean coloured eyes. Still… **What is so great about this guy?**

_**Gaara's thoughtful consideration:**_ _He hesitantly takes Naruto's hand and shakes it faintly._ _Naruto readily accepts, shaking back enthusiastically._ "_Sabaku no… Gaara…"_ _He says with a quiet but not meek voice._ _Sakura is pleased, looking at the rather normal interaction._ "_Nice to meet you...Friend."_

Although he has it all figured out in his mind about how he would react to the guy who just hugged his mother out of the blue without permission or justice. Nope. No Justice at all. He actually did not like the idea of shaking his hand. No. Not yet. He throws the vision of a perhaps well done introduction out of his head. And goes back to reality.

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**Present:**** THE LAND OF FIRE - KONOHA: Sunday/Forest Country**/**Leaf Region**/**Konohagakure Air base Field/****4:05 PM**

"Hello… Friend…" Naruto offers his hand, reaching out to him. To an awkward boy who looks back at this man with annoyance and probable hate.

And the red haired young man in turn looks on, staring, just staring. Waiting for his own reaction. But ee could not move, nor could he muster a word. There is an awkward moment of silence as Sakura's smile slowly turns into a nervous grin. The offered hand starts to lower down slightly, getting quite heavy from being in such an awkward position. Naruto's happily slit eyes become round blinking saucers as he looks on to the boy. But this blonde boy's surprised features do not scathe what Gaara thinks of potential. Gaara chooses not to take the hand offered to him. It is his decision.

He didn't care that his mother finds it rather rude for him to do so, what he really concerns him most is his competition. Out of constant hit and miss by rather good looking medics who have flirted with Sakura before, he has practically mastered profiling. Profiling is supposedly one of his genuine specialties. And due to this, he grudgingly admits, that this guy in front of him…Has very high potential.

Gaara circles him quietly, slowly while he looks at him up and down. He didn't care if his brother Kankuro is snickering behind him, thinking that he is acting like a total sniffing dog. Or that Temari is shaking her head, having to go through a not likely but embarrassing habit of the boy. All he cares is to get a good look, and see possible loop holes that would make Naruto a total failure.

He can tell from this guy's choice of dominant and loud coloured clothing that he is a risk taker and a head-on kind of guy. And even though the being assessed guy is currently rather uncomfortable, Naruto has a naturally charming grin that he shows without any hesitation or meekness. The blonde man stands tall and confident, having been to battles that would shake anyone with fear. Gaara can tell he has gone through a lot, making him look accomplished. He has a well built agile body, ready to go to perilous missions anytime.

And from the looks of commoners nearby, this guy is rather popular in a positive negative way. A mix of righteousness and rebellion, but most of all, honour.

His chest tightens, realizing that their outpour of chi is exactly the same. His energy is just the same amount of chaos inhibiting animalistic power. He has a beast inside of him. Their levels are almost in sync with each other. Naruto Uzumaki has the highest potential he has ever seen from all the countless guys that tried to make a move on his mom. And he knows this, because he knows his mom well. But this man exceeds his capabilities and surpassed his limits. Other than the fact that he is currently much taller, and leaner… and the same age as his mom..

"What is he doing?" Naruto asks Sakura, without looking away at the boy who seems to realize one very big gash at this given fact.

'_**The same age… as Mom.'**_Somehow that truth makes him a lot smaller in front of this man than he already is.

"Just keep talking to him, he's like this to all strangers…" Sakura reasons.

"All boys that is…" Kankuro adds from a distance. "Shhh! He's thinking!" Temari hisses, elbowing her purple faced brother not to make things more awkward, anticipating Gaara's actions.

"The same age… the same…" The boy mutters to himself. Uzumaki has a past with Sakura, a past that he does not have with her. And that is more than enough. He sighs. _**'He is the complete opposite of me.**__**He's perfect.'**_

"Erm… Hello…? Friend?" The blonde boy tries to converse to him yet again. For the first time in a long while… Gaara frowns.

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KONOHA: Sunday/Forest Country/Leaf Region/Konohagakure Air base Field/**4:06 PM**

The two siblings look on at the scene like they are casually watching a potential drama. They stay in the background, a good distance away from a possible disaster. Still, they could feel an ominous aura surrounding them.

"So… it has begun." Kankuro concludes, holding his arms tightly and making a shiver.

"Yup." Temari miserably answers, jumping off from her fan and easily whisks the humongous plane into a transportable.

"Come on, pay up." Kankuro shows his sister a loan shark pose, asking her the money she owes him for the recently concluded bet that he wins.

"Isn't it enough to know that you're right?" Temari glares at him like he is asking for it. Kankuro raises his brow.

"Didn't I tell you that Gaara wouldn't be buddy, buddy with Naruto when he meets him?" He reminds her.

"Yes…" Temari groans.

"Now pay up, or else you are dishonouring the bro code." Kankuro says with a grin, showing her an outstretched open hand.

"Here, take your blood money." Temari hastily takes money out of her pocket and slams it to his hand. Kankuro falls on his knees from the hand slapping after-effect, but is left victorious.

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KONOHA: Sunday/Forest Country/Leaf Region/Konohagakure Air base Field/**4:07 PM**

"Is he frowning at me right now?" Naruto asks Sakura. The mother looks at her son with worry; this first encounter does not seem to be off to a good start. "Gaara-bear?" She asks. A woman with a soft concerned voice asks for him. He blinks away from his displeased state and looks at her attentively. "Your big brother Naruto is speaking to you, it's not polite to introduce yourself." Sakura says knowingly.

_**'Big brother?...BIG BROTHER?!'**_Gaara looks like he is about to break this guy's jaw, merely thinking about calling this idiot Big brother sickens him.

"Ah, you don't have to call me Big brother…" Naruto says, waving in a not a big deal approach. "Oh, then you can call him N-" Sakura is about to introduce her friend to her son when…

"You can call me…" The blonde boy interrupts, finishing some hand signals. Then suddenly they are instantly amidst a screen of smoke. When the jutsu fog dissipated, they find Naruto transformed as a woman. A naked woman. "You can call me Nee-chan!~" Naruto says with a flirtatious feminine voice, he strikes a seductive pose and winks at the boy. Sakura's jaw drops. Gaara looks like he has seen the most infuriating attempt to make fun of women. Kankuro is bleeding from his nose. And Temari tries to control her laughter.

After one round of Naruto dancing around them as they stand shocked stiff, they start going back to their senses. "Wahahaha! Oh man… This idiot didn't change at all!" Temari says as she makes her way to the mother and son who are still frozen from the awkwardness, she closes Gaara's eyes with her hands, laughing as she does.

"Breasts… buh-… bih-… big… brea-" The hooded guy with a purple design on his face stutters. Kankuro is lying on the ground looking lifeless due to losing a lot of blood from a non-stop nosebleed. "B-big… Breas-"

Sakura steps on the seizure induced guy's face to stop him from uttering foolishly as she makes her way to Naruto who is still dancing like crazy. The pink haired girl stands in front of the now long blond haired guy with women features in a very displeased look. "This was supposed to be a formal epic introduction with you and Gaara, you idiot…" She takes her fighting gloves from her back pocket.

"Heeeh? ~ What did you say Sakura baa-chan? ~" Naruto asks her, pretending that he didn't hear her.

"I said… You Idiot!" Sakura charges towards him, her fist aiming his stupid looking face.

Gaara removes his sister's hand from covering his eyes as he watches the well-deserved beating. "Hit his guts mom! His guts!" He shouts.

"Naah, not his guts…" Temari shouts with her little brother. "Kick him in the #$%!"

Gaara stares at his 'Aunt'. Temari stares back at her 'Nephew'. "Cough cough- um, I mean, er… His bum! Kick the idiot's bum!" Temari says, trying to retract what she has said.

"Beh-bi-hig… Big… Biggie…" Kankuro continues on spewing nonsense, mumbling like an idiot behind them.

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KONOHA: Sunday/**Route to Konoha Capital**/**4:30 PM**

"Ow… That really hurt Sakura-chan…" Naruto complains, carefully patting his new bump on his head. "Shut up Idiot." Sakura tells her long time friend.

The two friends, followed by Kankuro and Temari, walk side by side; Naruto on Sakura's left side while Gaara is on the right. Already the boy is finding the path too small for the three of them to fit in.

"Haah~, isn't this nice? I didn't get to have a stroll with Sakura in a long while…" The blonde man stretches his arms up high and then crosses them behind his back, resting his head on the fold. "Then again, I haven't seen you guys for a while as well…" He says, pertaining to the two siblings behind. "Especially this guy…" Naruto bends over to look at Gaara who ignores him completely. Seeing that the boy isn't paying attention to him, he walks ahead of them and then abruptly stops the group by blocking their way. He walks to where Gaara is and confronts him face to face.

"Heya Kid, How's it goin?" Naruto asks in a true Kakashi fashion, by bending on one knee to be in the same height as he is, and then raises his straight open hand without waving it inches next to his goofy looking face.

Naruto Uzumaki. An accomplished ninja of Konoha who is known infamously to almost every villager, he is well known for being the accursed jinchuuriki apprentice of Jiraiya-sama. A good loyal friend since childhood to everyone, he has charisma that would make anyone laugh or smile with ease. Currently he is said to have been working on local missions, having a break from hunting down Sasuke, knowing that the prick is not causing any mayhem for now. He is wearing his typical ninja wardrobe, the orange jumpsuit, having been in a finished mission with some kids in searching for a cat near a district.

Gaara looks on monotonously, like Naruto doesn't exist. "Awww come on, you didn't like my joke back there? It was hilarious!" Naruto exclaims spontaneously. Gaara does remember, and thus he glares at the weirdo for reminding him. Seeing that the kid is giving him such a sour face, reminds Naruto of the good ole days. The blonde man sighs, grinning as he looks at the child with familiarity. "You really are Gaara…" He brings his hands to the little boy's shoulders. The boy freezes, surprised from the unseen action. "But you know what?" Naruto picks him up by putting his hands under the boy's arms.

"H-hey!" Gaara's eyes widen, alarmed that he has not been handled like this before by a stranger. "P-put me down!" He protests, kicking air as he tries to wriggle free.

"You're different from the kid I grew up with." Naruto says, not putting him down, keeping his hold on him.

'_**The Kid I Grew up with…'**_Gaara understands that he lost much of his memory from his old self, and that there are still a lot of missing pieces from what he when he is exposed to the same factors that he has gone through before, he would vaguely remember somehow he is having a hard time recalling such a person, the thought of Naruto as his mother's acquaintance as well is probably clouding his thoughts._**'I grew up with this guy?'**_Gaara calms down, seriously thinking about what the guy said, he looks at the person's face.

There is something about this guy that is keeping him from tearing the man from limb to limb. As the young man keeps his hold on him, he tries to recall whether this person truly has made such an impact in his life…That his mother would tell him that he was his friend. _**'**__**A friend…'**_ The blonde guy just goes on ranting, talking about random things to him while he just looks on without a word. He knows his mother has talked about him once or twice before, and that his uncle Kanky and aunt Mawy have been commenting about the funny things he did.

He also knows from the way that Naruto is acting stupidly that he is not very smart. _**'I had an idiot for a friend?'**_ Gaara lowers his head, starting to feel sorry for his old self. Realizing that he has just reflected for some time, he shakes his head to stir from his dazed behavior, to find that Naruto has been looking at him for the whole time as well. _**'What are you looking at?'**_

Naruto keeps him in mid air, staring at him intently. And then the blonde gives him a big smile. "You're different from before… you're more of a kid now."

Gaara looks at him with his large green pupils, entranced by this man's nature. And he knows that perhaps, somehow, that notion is a given compliment. His distinct anger and frustration for this guy is decreased slightly. Just slightly. "What are you talking about…?" He talks back to Naruto without a tremble anymore, like he is talking to an old friend. "I _am_ a kid. You idiot." Gaara tells him in a manner in which to purposely degrade him, removing polite language and informing him like he truly is what he named him to be.

When the blonde haired Konoha resident brings him down on his feet, he has thought that his belittling of him actually work..Until Naruto gives the redhead a good noogie. "Hey! Stop that!" Gaara struggles at his locked hold of his neck but he couldn't break free. "Gahahahaaha! This little twerp, you might've regained yer speech but yah got a dirty mouth! Good, good!" Naruto compliments the boy.

Gaara couldn't believe this guy's actions; he is treating him like how his brother Kankuro would. As if this guy knows him well enough to be his brother. While he is being embarrassed in public, he looks at his mom for her reaction to this kind of situation. He could not believe his eyes. Usually when Kankuro would do this to him, she would try to stop him immediately and give him a good scolding for trying to commit suicide. But this time, when this particular guy does it, she doesn't look angry or worried at all.

It's as if she has this other side of her that he does not know, and only this guy could show this new side of Sakura. She's laughing in front of her, not like a mother or sister would. She is smiling like a grown woman, an independent charismatic personality. This personality of hers, towards a childhood friend. How envious.

"Nyahahaha! I'm gonna mess your head up until you get bald!" Naruto teasingly tells him. Gaara doesn't find it so amusing. "I said let go!" The red haired boy grabs the arm that holding him in his place and bites it like a deranged dog. "Gaaaah!" Naruto shouts in pain and shock, he let's go immediately to tend on his wound. "Ouch, ouch, ouch!" The blonde guy waves his arm frantically, like he is playing with fire. "Hahahahaha! That's the spirit boy! You make your uncle proud!" Kankuro says with a hefty voice. "Seriously… You're encouraging him teme!" Temari thumps Kankuro on the head.

"I taught him to do that when he was six years old!" The general goes to the boy's side and pats him on the shoulder. Gaara looks at the blonde running around with his throbbing bitten arm asking whether the boy has rabies with a glee and at Kankuro with a proud mischievous grin. With the piece of Naruto's sleeve still hanging on his mouth, he does feel accomplished. He looks at Sakura, thinking that she would be pleased, but his elated expression is soon diminished when he finds her tending to Naruto. "This is what you get for making fun of him…" Sakura tells her good friend.

"But~… Sakura-chan~, I was just being playful~" Naruto says, trying to look pitiful and cute as Sakura looks at his bitten arm. "No one could get your sense of humor, baka." She simply states, smiling as she does. "I know that you do…" Naruto says, giving her a wink. **Gaara's eye starts to twitch.** This person dares to flirt with his mother right in front of him. "Nee, Sakura-chan~, where's my hello kiss? You didn't give me one!~" Naruto whines.

"You think you're that lucky?" Sakura scoffs, putting bandage on his arm.

"Hmph, if you won't give me one, I will!" The blonde man proclaims.

While Sakura is tending his wound, he takes this time to try planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Is he doing, what I think he's doing?" Temari asks his brother.

"Yes… Yes I do." Kankuro, accompanied with his sister, watches intently at Naruto and Sakura with Gaara fuming on the side, as another interesting plot is playing in front of them. "Ohh Man, this is going to be sooo good…" The big brother offers popcorn to Temari as they stare eagerly.

As Naruto gets closer and closer to her face, his lips puckering and moving forward, Gaara starts seeing it all in a slow motion. _**'This… kind of guy…'**_ His fists tightens, looking at him trying such a move is making him feel like making a murder. _**'How dare he tries to mistreat mother like this…'**_ His lips are mere inches from Sakura's cheek. _**'Grrrr... Grrrr…'**_ His mother is still distracted by Naruto's arm, putting ice on the throbbing bite mark. _**'Over my dead body!'**_ With an outstretched hand, he forms a sand spear and attempts to hit Naruto's face.

But the ninja that the guy is, he sensed the coming weapon before it is able to reach his face. "Woah!" Naruto backs off, the sand spear missing him by centimetres, looking at Gaara who is seething with rage. Finally Sakura loses her attention from her patient and is able to notice what is going on.

"What did you do?" The pink haired woman immediately asks Naruto, who denies his actions.

"Baah, he was lucky, he intentionally missed." Kankuro comments.

"I agree." Temari says, munching on some popcorn. Kankuro and Temari appreciate the full force of the thrown spear, telling the true intention of the boy. Which is intimidation. Naruto gulps, he looks at the spear that broke the wall behind them.

"You have a good arm there slugger, hehehe…" Naruto laughs nervously. Gaara quietly makes his way to the both of them and stands between the two. He goes in front of Sakura, letting her stand behind him. He looks up at the man who tried to kiss his mother on the cheek viciously.

"If you dare to do that ever again. I. will. Kill. You." Gaara says, without adding any cuss word. The boy using his sand, moves Naruto a good feet away from them before taking his mom's hand and walking away.

"Do what again?" Sakura asks his son, but he didn't bother to answer, too traumatized at what was supposed to happen.

'_**No way am I going to let him touch her… No way…'**__ The boy mentally thought._

"H-hey! How do I get off this thing?" Naruto shouts, trying to walk towards them but couldn't because he is standing at a carpet of sifting sand.

"Don't worry, he'll let you off as soon as he finds you to be not a threat to Sakura…" Kankuro says with experience, he tosses him a bottle of water, knowing that he might be there for some time.

"Buuuut… I seriously doubt that…" Temari tells Naruto, giving him a towel to absorb his would-be sweat.

"It's nice to meet yah again bro!" Kankuro says, patting him on the back.

"You too man… He changed a lot huh?" Naruto points out, already gasping for breath.

"Yeah he did. He also changed a lot about his interests, if you get what I mean…" Kankuro grins, both of them looking at the mother and son, the boy actually criticizing his mother for being defenceless.

"What are you talking about honey?" Sakura asks his son as she is being pulled away.

"Just be more attentive okay?" Gaara tells her, not willing to repeat what he said. Sakura giggles, finding her son's actions rather silly.

"Hai, hai…" She kisses him on the forehead, comforting his insecurity. He pouts, but his fuming expression is reversed immediately.

Naruto sighs. "How, envious. I wasn't even in that level when we were kids." The blonde says as he keeps on running like he is on a treadmill. And then he realizes. "Wait a second… when you say that he has new interests… Does that mean?" He looks at Kankuro with large eyes. Kankuro can only give a smug grin before leaving him behind.

"Looks like you need to put another name on your rivals list, Uzumaki." Temari answers for him, before following his brother.

"Oi! Don't leave me here!" Naruto tries to run after them furiously in vain, Gaara's sand still thrashing wildly below his feet. "Oi! I ain't some hamster! Get me outta here!"

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KONOHA: Sunday/**Konoha Headquarters**/**Hokage's Office**/**5:00 PM**

"So… You are Gaara No Sabaku… The Kazekage of Suna?" Tsunade asks the red head. The boy stares at her like such words are foreign to him as well; he looks at his brother for guidance. Kankuro nods at him, telling him his status is true. He turns back to the woman and nods politely. The tall looking agile woman stands from her sitting position and goes to his side. With her heels, the boy's height could only reach her waist. She goes down on one knee to look at him face to face, staring at him seriously. Her brown hazel eyes is stared back in return by forest green ones. And suddenly she pats his blood red hair.

Alarmed, Gaara looks at Sakura who looks at ease and is not in any way hostile, but encouraging. He obliges with her touching, having not been touched by a woman other than his own mother and aunt.

"Hmmm…" The woman mumbles as she examines him. Out of nowhere, she puts her palms into his cheeks, and then pinches him lightly. Gaara looking confused patiently waits as he is being assessed by this woman who is molding his face. At first she is pulling his skin back to the point of showing his cheekbones, and then she pulls his skin down till he looks like he has wrinkles. His face starts to hurt, so without touching this annoying woman, his sand takes a hold of her arms to restrain her. Finding his attempt of restraining her amusing, she returns her amusement by snapping her fingers and the sand falls to the ground like limp dirt.

By that action, Gaara knows she isn't something he should mess with for nothing. "Okay, I believe you." Tsunade states, standing tall over him. "Sakura." She then commands, calling out to her pink haired apprentice. Temari then takes Gaara on the side, to let Haruno pass. His mother this time, goes in front of the lady to be properly evaluated. And probably punished. Sakura looks at her with the same rigid face. Tsunade hits her head with a newspaper fan.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Sakura protests to her master, scratching her slightly irritated forehead.

"What the freak is this Haruno? Why is he only 12 years old?" Tsunade shouts.

"What do you mean only 12 years old, isn't that a good thing?" Her apprentice answers back.

"It's been months! What have you been doing? He should have gotten back to normal a long time ago if I took the case, what is taking you so long?" The hokage scolds the pink haired kunoichi. Gaara has never seen anyone speak harshly to his mother before, he didn't like it. But he keeps his irritation in, knowing that he can't have a say in this.

"If I took this case I would've been done immediately! Do you have any idea how many jounin missions have been dealt without your guidance? The Konoha Hospital is going mad without you!" Tsunade continues.

"Hey! I wasn't the one who tossed me in this situation without knowing what I can do!" Sakura defends.

"Now, now…" Shizune tries to calm them down, only to be ignored. Tsunade takes Haruno by the collar and slams her desk, holding out her pissed off attitude.

"What is with this idiot apprentice, being so rude at your master when I gave a prestigious mission..But whaddya do? Yah screwin up like a sleazy old snake that I knew!"

"Oh boy, here comes the uchinᾱguchi accent…" Shizune exasperates. Uchinᾱguchi - Okinawan Accent

"Are you saying that I'm just like that sicko master of that jerk of a prick Sasuke?" Sakura says with a gasp. Gaara's ears seem to perk in attention when the name Sasuke is mentioned.

'_**Who is that guy?'**_ His mom mentioning a guy's name is really ticking him off… besides Kankuro's name that is. He's got no potential anyway.

"Aye, Imma sayin yer a kinda snake en a grass that rubs er belly like eh prick det yah really are!" Every time Tsunade get's commando, she starts talking like a Yankee, which is reasonable since she, and her old team namely Jiraiya and Orochimaru, stayed in Okinawa for intense training. Okinawa is an island of Konoha that is used as a disciplinary tactic for ruffians. It is the region of Seafaring Juvenile Delinquents.

"WHATTERYA THUNKIN MAKIN 'IM SUFFER LONGER AS A WEE BOI, YAH THENK IT'S FUNNY'ER SUM'IN?" Tsunade shouts.

"WILL YOU QUIT YOUR FRIGGIN UCHINᾹGUCHI ACCENT YOU B-" Sakura starts but is intruded by her sensei who brings her closer.

"AYE, CHALLENGE YAH FINISHIN' YER SENTENCE YOUNG LASS, YAH WAN'T SEE 'EM BODY WHAN YA-"

"OINK!" Squeals the pig, landing on Tsunade's face.

"I TOLD BOTH OF YOU TO SHUT UP! WE HAVE GUESTS! BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!" Shizune scolds them. Both of them stop their bickering immediately, having realized that they do lose their composure.

"Yes, Ma'am." They both tell their fellow colleague, before assuming their previous formal stances.

"Aaahh, Violent as always…" Naruto says, closing his eyes, feeling sorry for the countless tables they have brought to ruin.

"Well then, putting your nuisance aside…" Tsunade bows low at Kankuro and Temari.

"I apologize that my irresponsible apprentice is making your situation as hard as it is." The blonde old woman states.

"N-no, not at all, Sakura was very helpful, we don't know what would've happen without her…" Temari says, waving her hands.

"She did a splendid job in helping us raise our -ehem- 'niece', Haruno is a brilliant medic." Kankuro adds.

"Ahh, that's wonderful news. Well then, I shall put your comments into consideration when I evaluate her ability in handling this mission…" Tsunade considers.

Sakura groans, feeling miserable already. Tsunade gives her another whack for being miserable.

"While you are here in Konoha, my medical team will devout their best in finding possible stages that Gaara may fulfill to speed up the Kazekage's growth process." Tsunade continues.

As this woman speaks, Gaara watches her and Sakura intently. It is like she is the boss for his mom, except more than that, since Sakura seems to choose not to fight back.

"The four of you will be spending nights in our Konoha guest house, yes, including Sakura..We don't want our little Kazekage to feel lonesome now do we?" The Hokage looks at him with a smile for the first time; quickly Gaara's perception of this person is changed. She may have a strict way of conducting with people, but she has an outgoing smile. Like a mother would. "Oh, that's right, I forgot to re-introduce myself to you…" The long blonde haired woman bends down to confront him face to face, stretching her arms to a hugging stance. "Hi there, I am the Hokage of the village, but you can call me Miss Tsunade alright?" The elderly sarutobi advises.

Gaara hears a different voice, a caring happy voice. "You are such a cute child, small and frail as you are…" She stands back and sits down on her chair. "It will take a little more time to have a decent conversation with this bunch of idiots so…" She pats her lap coaxing him to sit. "You can come sit here on my lap, until this meeting is over, that way you won't get tired, Okay dear?" Tsunade mentions.

The red head does not follow, and instead stands as he is. "Come on Gaara-chan, sit on Onee-san's lap…" Temari encourages, trying not to make Gaara look rude.

"Whattya doing fool? Do what she says!" Kankuro says, having a nose bleed.

"Don't kid, it's a trap!" Naruto hisses.

Gaara looks at her, and slowly, casually he points at her with his index finger. "Grand… ma…" He says slowly.

"Eh? What did you say?" Tsunade asks, having not heard him properly. Sakura and the others on the other hand, know exactly what he is trying to say.

They look at him with their gaping mouths, shaking and waving their hands furiously, trying to tell him not to utter the dreaded word. "Grandma." Gaara unfortunately mentions.

Tsunade's pupils constrict. "You're… my mom's mother right…? Grandma?" The child asks the Hokage innocently.

The bystanders look at the boy with dismay, as if he says something that would start the apocalypse.

Naruto starts snickering along with Kankuro; the three girls look on with nervous smiles, knowing full well what such a word would do to a woman's ego.

"Grandmother…" Gaara tells her innocently with a polite manner, his eyes showing a great admiration for her. Tsunade, having been pierced three times by the given name, is having a hard time to react, with him looking at her like such a word is a given privilege."It is nice to see you Grandma obaa-san, it is a great honor to be your grandson." The boy bows low, a custom that he does not do much with people, giving her the respect that she deserves. A kind of respect that she really does not want to be recognized. A senior kind of respect.

"G-grand… Grandm-mother…" Tsunade stammers. "G-grand… Grandson?" The blonde woman grips on the sides of her chair and crushes the arm rests.

With everyone distracted at her sensei's growing fury, Sakura tries desperately to get out of there by attempting to break the doorknob.

"SAKURA!"

.

* * *

**.**

**LAND OF WIND - SUNA: **Sunday/**Desert Country**/**Oasis/Kaze beach Coastline/5:30 PM**

What an odd welcoming. Her name, which is shouted to the extent that can seemingly be heard from far away. To a lofty place, of fun in the sun. A place where a certain villain is napping after a morning of running after women with his scary looks. Zzzzzssss…Zzzzzssss..Zzzzzssssssss… Aloof at the sandy side of the beach, amidst stirring people enjoying the early afternoon, a man with pale skin of snake like exterior naps with a hissing noise. Accompanied with the noise of his buzzing phone on his shirt pocket.

"Sensei…" A young man calls out to him, trying to alert him of his phone that is alarming him noisily. Orochimaru does not stir from his relaxed pose on his beach bench, keeping his hands at the back of his head, his legs spread like he is casually napping at home. "Sensei!" Kabuto speaks to him louder this time but to no avail, he sighs in irritation as he breaks out of his resting position at his own bench. "Wake up, master… Your phone is ringing…" The blue haired guy shakes the gruesome looking person on the shoulder, still trying to get him to answer his phone.

Bzzzzzz! Bzzzzzz! Bzzzzzz! Bzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzz! The phone buzzes loudly. Zzzzzssssss…Zssssss…Zzzzzssss.. Orochimaru snores continuously. Bbzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzzzz! Zzzzsssss..Zzzzssssss!

Kabuto firmly brings his hands on his sense's shoulders and jerks him excessively. "Answer the phone dammit!"

…

Zzzzssss! Bzzzzzzz!

"%#$!" He grudgingly takes the annoying phone out of his sense's shirt pocket. "What?" Kabuto answers the phone uncaringly. "It's me. Sasuke." A young man's voice, who is 'just as irritating 'as the noises he hears, answers. "Oh. It's you." The villain's assistant says flatly. "Where are you? What's taking you so long?" Kabuto pinches Orochimaru's nose, trying to stop the snoring.

"I'm getting there. I just went to some detours." The Uchiha explains.

"Wow… look at you… taking your sweet time while I'm here being tortured by this idiot's snoring…" Kabuto kicks the legs of his master's beach bench, making the furniture collapse and letting Orochimaru flip to the ground and feel sand on his face. "So, how long will it take you to catch up this time?" The guy wearing glasses could hear some screaming in the background.

"A while." Sasuke merely answers. Kabuto's teeth clench.

"How long?" Kabuto asks again with resent.

"A week." The Uchiha replies.

"A week?" Kabuto's rather neutral mood breaks. "Sasuke…" The man with glasses calls him in a threatening voice.

"Sasssuke?" Orochimaru wakes from his dead like sleep, standing immediately and starts bombarding his assistant for answers. "Is that Sasuke-chan? Well? Well? Who is it? It's Sasuke right?" The pale man grabs the phone from Kabuto's hand. "Sasuke-chaaaan~!" The master shrieks. Kabuto tries to cover his face from the staring public as his master answers the phone like an enraged fan girl. "Sasuke-chan~, I miss you!~" Says the snake-like villain in a girly tone. "I don't." The dark blue haired guy says without guilt.

"Whaaaat? That's soooo meaaaan!" Orochimaru starts crying, tears flowing like waterfalls. "Why would you say that to me…? Sniff sniff… I'm your papa you know…" The snake-like creature proclaims.

"Papa?" Kabuto starts to gag.

"You say that one more time old man and I will-" Sasuke threatens until…

"SASSSSUUKEEEEE! MY SSSOOOOON!" The black haired villain bellows. Both Kabuto and Sasuke attempt to cover their faces this time.

"Cut that out!" Sasuke shouts from his phone.

"COME TO PAPAAA! SASSUKE-CHAAAAN!~"

.

* * *

.

LAND OF FIRE - KONOHA: Sunday/**Konohagakure Headquarters**/**Penalty retribution area**/**6:00 PM**

His red matted hair seems to lose its colour, looking rather dull, reacting with his current predicament. His head is lowered, as well as his back. His torso is low, like he is bowing. Bowing in a sorrowful yet awkward manner. Unlike his dense rigid and callous looking appearance moments ago, his stance is now looking defeated and humiliated. His eyes are cast down as if he has witnessed a death, plagued with grief. His lips are shut tight, as if he is currently reflecting on his regrettable actions.

"Wow." Naruto says, with true fascination.

"Amazing…" The blonde lowers his head to get a closer look.

"Fascinating right?" Kankuro accompanies him in witnessing a rare sight. A sight that it quite interesting indeed. Gaara being guilty in public.

"Mom, I am so sorry… you and the obaa-san looked so alike I thought…" The red head apologizes, deeply concerned. Sakura looks at her boy sympathetically.

"Awww… look at him… so guilty looking.." Temari points out, accompanying Sakura in relishing such cuteness.

"Oh Gaara-bear…" Sakura gives the boy a big reassuring hug, careful not to topple off as she did. "It's fine, it wasn't your fault. I'm always being scolded and hit by a huge paper fan by that baka-obaa-san anyway, it's nothing at all." The pink haired kunoichi combs his hair and kisses his forehead lightly. "So don't feel guilty okay?" She gives Gaara an encouraging irresistible smile.

"Lucky bastard…" Naruto mutters, envying the boy.

"Indeed." Kankuro agrees with him, standing next to him in a jealous mode.

"Gaara-bear is so silly…" Temari pats Gaara on the head. "This is just one of the everyday things your mom goes through in her hometown." The blonde explains. "Aren't you happy that you're experiencing it with us?" The blue-eyed blonde suggests happily. Finding that his aunt's point in this predicament is actually true, his emotions lighten up.

"You're… you're right aunt Mawy… thank you for telling me…" Gaara beams at his sister with a smile.

"No problem at all." She says, blushing at the sight of such an angelic face. "Now, straighten up your knees, we don't want you to have bruises on them now do we?"

"Okay." Gaara agrees, straightening his knees that are planted on the ground. All of them are on their knees with their arms up high. They have been on this straining stance for some time now, keeping such a pose while Shizune watches them, so that they wouldn't risk doing it another round again from the possibility of dropping out from exhaustion or intentionally running away. As punishment for not telling Gaara beforehand that he shouldn't mention 'grandma' in any way to Tsunade… They receive punishment like they are still a bunch of high school punks.

"Seriously Sakura, why didn't you mention to Gaara that he shouldn't call the baba-tsunade 'grandma' in public?" Naruto asks, struggling from his composure.

"Sorry, he must've thought that since I kept labelling her 'obaa-san', he thought Tsunade is his grandma…" Sakura giggles, still imagining Tsunade's face.

"Don't blame okaa-san for this, it's not her fault!" Gaara scolds Naruto, telling him not to give his mom a hard time.

"Sakura-chaaan~, your 'son' is telling me to shut up, can you tell him to stop scolding me like I'm some kinda KID?~" Naruto intentionally implies the word 'kid' in a mocking tone.

"What are you trying to say… OLD MAN?" Gaara intentionally implies 'OLD MAN' in a mocking tone. "What did yah say, KID?" Naruto faces the boy with a daring glare.

"Having a hard time hearing… OLD MAN?" Gaara edges towards him in an intimidating gesture.

Temari, who is in the middle of them, feels a little suffocated at the intense aura being emitted.

"Will the both of you cool it? I can hardly keep my composure from all of this intimidation! Aaargh this sucks!" The blonde reacts with frustration, having no patience in this sort of punishment that she has dealt with in her Yankee days.

"What are yah complainin about sis? You have been doing this kind of thing all throughout high school." Kankuro grins, doing pretty well for himself.

"I did not graduate from ninja high just to do this knee-writhing sort of torture all over again!" Temari continues to object.

"Oh please, you're just hiding the fact that you have weak knees. Hahaha!" The general teases while laughing out loudly.

Temari hits his brother on the cheek with her forehead.

"Ouch! That hurt!" Kankuro falls from his long-term composure, falling on his side.

"Kankuro! Do it over again!" Shizune scolds.

"Oh maaan…" The big brother glares at Temari as he miserably goes back to his former position. "Temari you b-" He is interrupted before he could finish.

Shizune, hits Kankuro with a newspaper fan. "Do not use any foul language in front of a child!" Shizune shouts.

"What were you going to say Kankuro? You b-" The blonde is interrupted with a quick whack on the head. Shizune hits Temari on the head with a newspaper fan.

"The same goes for you as well, Temari-san…" Shizune warns.

"When I get out of this uncle Kaka… I am giving you one hell of a beating…" Temari threatens her brother, her hair dampening with sweat.

"Haaah… this is tiring, I can't wait to get me some ramen…" Naruto whines, keeping his arms as high as he can.

"Haha, Naruto is the same as always…" Sakura laughs, relishing the idea of having some ramen as well.

"I wouldn't say the same about you… I mean look at your hair, it has grown a lot since the last months I saw you." Naruto points out.

"Really? I haven't really notice, but I really do have some trouble keeping it on a ponytail lately…" Sakura says, swaying her head slightly to feel her mane of hair falling over her shoulders.

"You just get prettier and prettier each day, Sakura…" Naruto compliments, edging closer to the pink haired kunoichi. Gaara's eye, on the other hand, is twitching like crazy.

"Five minutes left for you Gaara-chan… " Shizune informs the boy. Seeing as he didn't want to do another round if he reacts wildly, he awaits his last minutes before ripping Naruto to shreds. He breathes in deeply and then exhales slowly, closing his eyes so as not to get any more infuriated. _**'**__**Focus… Focus…'**_ He encourages himself.

"Sakura-chan~" Naruto starts wiggling his upper torso like some exotic dancer in front of Sakura, while keeping his required composure.

'_**What the hell is he doing in front of Mother!'**_ Gaara bites his lip, and keeps his eyes shut tightly. _**'**__**Concentrate… Concentrate…'**_

Due to Naruto's crazy antics, Gaara is doing his fifth round; he has to be patient enough to finish it off.

"Wohooo!" Naruto shouts in enthusiasm, jumping for amusement while Sakura continues to laugh.

"So, what are your plans while you guys are here in Suna?" The young blonde man asks, momentarily pausing his taunting, causing Gaara some relief.

"Well, I'm guessing a tour around the border seems to be at order, I'd like to know if we could improve Suna's walls in any way we can." Kankuro replies.

"Hah! You mean you want to cheat on your responsibilities by copying anything we do!" Naruto interprets.

"Hell yeah!" Kankuro answers with no dignity whatsoever. The two boys do a makeshift high-five, slapping each other by the use of their shoulders.

"What about you Temari?" Sakura asks.

"Oh um, well… I won't be here for very long…" The blond confides guiltily.

"WHAT?" They start reacting loudly in unison.

"What are you talking about Temari-teme! We just got here!" Kankuro reasons.

"I know, I know, but Suna is left without anyone there right now. I figured I should go back ahead sooner." The blonde sister explains.

"Geh! That's a horrible excuse! Suna will be just fine!" Naruto says with confidence.

"Temari… when exactly are you going to leave?" Sakura asks, trying to keep this scream feast at low volume.

"Well… three days from now…? I don't know…" Temari says, obviously undecided.

"Temari, you're gonna miss all the local booze and the hot Konoha women… have you lost your mind?" The general expresses. "Ouch!" He then says. Shizune hit Kankuro for being perverted.

"Oh right, I'm the only one who'll be missin them stuff haha…" The purple painted pug face realizes. And then Kankuro's eyes widens, remembering one important detail that can explain why his sister would rather leave than stay for the fun. "Wait a minute… that's right!" He jumps on his knees to confront Temari properly. "You just want to get the hell outta here because of that long haired know-it-all prick Nara!" He shouts, proud at his discovery.

"W-what? N-no way… Of course not!" Temari responds sharply as she can.

"You mean Shikamaru? Nara Shikamaru?" Naruto joins with the shouting.

"Temari… Is it true?" Sakura breathes, finding that this reason is rather plausible.

"No Sakura! Well… not exactly… Wait! NO! Definitely not!" Temari failingly defends herself.

'_**Three more minutes… Three more…'**_Gaara quietly raises his arms and keeps his knees still, while the others continue bombarding Temari with their topic.

"Oh my, congratulations Temari! It's been three years now right?" Shizune adds to the discussion, finding it out just now.

"I always knew that you guys are going to end up together!" Naruto says nudging her with his shoulder.

"W-wait, you guys-" Sakura tries to resist where this conversation is going, knowing full well that Temari and Shikamaru just broke up recently.

"I bet you wanna hightail outta here cuz you have a feeling that he'll ask you the big question right? Hm? Hm?" Naruto sheepishly suggest, nudging her again.

"Yeah the big question! Nyahahaha!" Kankuro taunts loudly.

The idiot forgot. Sakura shakes her head, looking at the General with unbelieving eyes.

"Th-that's not it… it's not about him…" Temari is starting to lose her determination to explain. Seeing that the blonde's eyes are turning glassy and red, Sakura has to stop this from going any further.

"O-oi, oi, stop it you two! It's not funny anymore!" Sakura frantically waves her hands that are still up in the air, signalling them to focus on the person in topic, not on their own haughtiness. Having notice Sakura's worried face, Shizune takes a step back to look at Temari more properly.

"Um… Temari-san…? Are you alright?" Shizune asks with concern.

Sakura winces, knowing that asking that question is not the best idea. The two men did not pay concern unfortunately, laughing without much sensitivity.

'_**One minute… One minute more…'**_Gaara says internally, too focused at his task of getting the punishment over and done with.

"We… We… broke up…" Temari says in a small voice.

"Aahh? What you say, Temari-chan~? You luuuurrrve him?" Naruto asks, snickering with her idiot brother.

"I said we broke up! You dimwits!" Temari shouts, sobbing as she breaks out of her stance. Shizune gasps, realizing their mistake, starts apologizing repeatedly.

'_**10… 9… 8…'**_

"W-what?" Naruto looks like he is about to choke, hoping that he didn't just hear what he has heard.

"Oh Shit. I forgot about that." Kankuro says with regret, hitting his forehead with an open palm.

'_**7… 6...'**_

"The hell? Why didn't you say that sooner bastard?" Naruto scolds Kankuro, shaking him on the shoulders.

'_**5… 4…'**_

Sniff… Sniff. Tears are now falling on the ground, much to the horrid faces of the two young men. "Y-you guys are h-horrible…" Temari cries, before wailing like a girl who has lost her teddy.

"Oh Temari…" Sakura also disqualifies herself, standing to and going to her side to console the blonde.

"I'm so sorry Temari! I'm so so sorry! I didn't know!" Naruto apologizes, still on his feet.

"I-it'll be fine, take all the time you can to get over him!" Kankuro says, patting her leg, not yet getting out of his awkward three feet position.

**3**

"G-get over him?" Temari reflects. And then sobs even louder.

**2**

"Kankuro, you just made it worse!" Sakura shouts at guilty looking brother.

"For friggin's sake! I'm sorry! Ugh! Women!" The General complains loudly.

**1**

Kankuro stands up and brings his arms up high in frustration, asking God why they have to be so emotional.

"Shut your mouth you turd!" Naruto says, following him in getting out of the punishment position, hits Kankuro before Sakura would give the guy a murderous blow.

**0**

Gaara stands. The bickering stops, their attention now at the kid who stands with the whole lot.

"Gaara?" Naruto calls out to him.

The boy snaps.

"AAAAAUUGHHH!"

"Hey, oi, oi, oi! Gaara stop!"

"Gaara-bear don't! You'll kill him!"

"Come back here old man!"

"No! Not the arm!" Naruto shrieks like a girl.

.

* * *

.

KONOHA: Sunday/**The Akatsuki Dungeon****/****Sakura ōdōri (Cherry Blossom Boulevard)/****A Local Bar**/**8:00 PM**

"GYAHAAHAHAA!" Kankuro laughs out loud. A sound of heavy glass is abruptly put down on the wooden armrest, fizz oozing on one side.

"HUWAHAHAHAA!" Naruto laughs hysterically as well. Another mug is brought down hastily with a loud chink sound, spilling some of the cloudish carbon liquid on the dull polished surface.

"And then this teme-kid tells me that he likes my hobby! Haha! Hobby he says!" Kankuro elbows Naruto, while holding on the red head's neck with his arm.

"Hahahaha! That's hilarious!" Naruto reacts with gusto. Gaara, on the other hand, does not look too amused.

Much to the boy's dismay, the young men have dragged him to their habitual drinking spree while Temari and Sakura are having their 'Boys are not allowed' time. His blonde Sister, who looked too estranged to cope with the topic a few hours ago, needs some cheering up. So his Mom suggested that the boys have a night out while they try to kill some of Temari's emotions by having some consoling girl time. Unfortunately, Kankuro and Naruto purposely make a night out of knowing more about Konoha into a night out in the local pub.

And so here he is, in a place that illegally sells booze to minors, with a bunch of morons who doesn't seem to have any interest at all but to waste his time. The redhead sighs loudly for his seatmates who are on both his side to at least slightly notice his boredom. "You okay kid?" Naruto stupidly asks.

Gaara glares back at him like he is talking to someone who isn't worth talking to. They have been in this dim place for most of the time since they have gotten out of the rest house they are currently residing in. Hanging around with two men who are drinking around while he is sober for the whole entire time… Listening to them say nonsense random idiotic things isn't something he wanted to do. No. No he is not okay. But he keeps his mouth shut, thinking it would be a waste of spit to talk to this guy. "Another round of Amazake for the boy!" The blonde young man hollers to the bartender.

Gaara rests his forehead on the island's table loudly, as the two men go on with their ranting with him still miserable between them.

"And then when I pulled his diaper's tape… and it was like sssplloourrggcccchhh!" Kankuro describes, making his fists slowly open wide, gaping his arms like he dealt with an explosion.

"Haha! That's gross! Nasty man!" Naruto reacts. Gaara tugs his shirt to become a makeshift hood, covering his face. Avoiding the looks of the people around them. How embarrassing.

"Here ya go kid." The bartender gives him a wooden cup of hot Amazake. Amazake - a sweet low alcoholic drink made from fermented rice.

"Thanks." Gaara says quietly. The boy drinks it politely. He wants to get away, leave the two to their own demise and go back to where Mom is. But for some reason, he concludes that this sort of activity is one of those man to man bonding moments.

"One Amazake for me too…and a green tea Wagashi." A familiar man informs their server, sitting just a seat away from the three. Wagashi - A Japanese confectionery often used in tea ceremonies.

The boy squint his eye from his position, finding it hard to concentrate on this man's features with the two drunken men messing around in front of him. This particular guy is different from the men in this bar. Gaara knows because they have ordered the same thing. But other than that, he is just plain different. The way this man lazily slouches from his chair as he drinks his hot beverage, answering the latest Sudoku on the daily newspaper. Something about this guy reminds him of his Aunt, recalling the distinct tightness of the ponytail that the man wears, as well as the prominent curve of his back.

Thinking that it might be just a fluke, he goes back to toying on his own drink, tilting the cup to make one small shard of bamboo in the middle of the murky white liquid float from side to side.

"It's too bad Old Baba Tsunade didn't pose as his mother. Nee, Gaara-chan?" Kankuro elbows the boy. Naruto nods, agreeing completely.

"Why?" Gaara asks curiously, thinking that it is such an indescribable idea.

"Well, if Tsunade Baba was his mother, Gaara would've had the opportunity to suck those huge big tit-OW!"

"What?" The boy asks again, having not heard properly.

"I said he would've had the chance to touch them enormous boo-YEOWCH!" Kankuro rubs the side of his head, bruised by what seems to be a couple of wooden Shogi pawns. Shogi - Japanese Chess.

"What the…" His brother tosses the carved game piece on the table. Gaara's eyes dart to the only guy he finds possible to throw such material in nearby vicinity.

"Okay… who's the wise-ass throwin Shogi chips on my good lookin head!" Kankuro turns to his left side, along with Naruto.

The man with a tight ponytail and pointy edged hair looks at the three with a signature grin. "Yo." The young crouching man merely says, raising his hand at them meekly.

Naruto and Kankuro, who are still sober enough to be acquainted with the guy, give an enthusiastic reply. "Nara!" The two say in unison, recognizing their friend.

"Hey Shika!" The blonde literally jumps from his seat and attacks the Chūnin like an enthusiastic big dog.

"O-oi!" Nara responds from his friend's abrupt behaviour. Uzumaki manages to topple the guy out of his chair, into the wooden pavement.

"Shikamaruuuu!" Naruto, who just pounces his friend like deranged animal, starts messing around with the Nara's hair. "I missed you man! Where have you been?" Naruto shouts ecstatically.

"Hey, hey! Don't mess the hair!" Nara performs his shadow technique at the meddlesome blonde, making Naruto numb as Shikamaru gets back up to his feet. "Heel boy, heel." Still holding Uzumaki with his shadow, he picks up the rowdy young man to a point that Naruto couldn't touch the ground or get a hold of him.

"Hey! No fair!" The blonde protests, whimpering like a dog as he is being handled like some pet.

"Hey dude! Buy a keg and have a seat with us!" Kankuro raises his mug at him.

"Hey, General…" The guy with a pointy ponytail nonchalantly takes Naruto's seat next to the boy and with Kankuro on the other seat. Naruto who is pouting with his crossed arms is shadow handled to seating beside the guy with a ponytail.

"So… What have you guys been doing?" The Hokage's intern adviser asks the two men, giving a cunning smirk.

**Shikamaru Nara**. The Fourth Division Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Known as the Genius Chūnin of Konoha, he is also considered as a valued intern adviser to that of the Hokage. The tightly ponytailed black hair with pointy tips on the end has been lazing around elsewhere… Having gone to mission more than anyone thought he would of in his own given personality. Finishing yet another mission from Tsuchi no Kuni at Iwagakure, he has reported to Tsunade and was about to go to the Nara Clan Household when Naruto called him in. Tsuchi no Kuni - Land of Earth at Iwagakure -The Hidden Stone Village.

Oddly enough, he is rather taken aback that the Sand siblings would be present at their little get together. But then again, you can't really tell from his near unsurprising façade.

.

* * *

.

KONOHA: Sunday/**The Akatsuki Dungeon****/****A Local Bar/****Sakura ōdōri (Cherry Blossom Boulevard)/****10:00 PM**

Gaara watches him closely from such near proximity… Rather taken aback at the man's easy going attitude that deems unique from that of the two imbeciles he currently accompanies. This person who drinks his root beer without mixing the ice cream before he takes a gulp, not distracted at the crazy blonde monkey who is trying to get his attention. This man of high looking stature talks to his brother like an old friend, giving slight smirks and laughs as he converses with a sense of intellect.

'_**Nara Shikamaru…'**_No wonder he is so recalls this person from that of a very prominent picture back in his when he had a glimpse of his sister's girly floral room, there is one picture that stood out from the many pictures plastered on her 'aunt's' wall.A picture of her with a wonderful feminine smile, with this man who was awkwardly grinning…focusing his attention on Temari more than at the camera.

"And so here we are, taking a long vacation from Desert Country… left Suna to Baki and then flew here…" Kankuro gulps another mug, ordering another for himself and then offers Shikamaru one of the two that he has ordered. Nara humbly declines, passing the glass to Naruto who happily drinks it with a tray of dango and Mochi.

"Must have been a drag…" Shikamaru quietly concludes, finishing off his Amazake and then taking a stick of sweet rice flour dessert out of the blonde's tray.

"Yeah it was." Kankuro continues.

"But it was all worth it, I figure. I mean hey, at least Gaara is growin as fast as I finish five shots an hour." The purple inked design on his face makes a proud puggy grin.

"Where is the Kazekage by the way?" Shikamaru asks the two who are still busily stuffing themselves.

Kankuro, Naruto and Gaara looks at him weirdly, observing him actually looking around at the room for the sight of a person who is actually right beside him.

The three look at him like he is just making some sort of joke. Is he being serious?

"Dense." Naruto explains, a word portraying his rather oblivious friend.

"Or maybe the boy's too chibi for him to notice?" Kankuro suggests. Both of them fail in concealing their snickering.

Gaara offers his hand to the young man nonetheless. Looking at him seriously from his height, his head tilted slightly to confront him.

"Nice to meet you." The red head simply states, with utmost politeness.

At first Nara does not react, stunned at the boy who is looking right at him. But then his rather surprised gaze is warmed back into a comfortable appeal, finding Gaara's gesture quite fitting. "Sabaku no Gaara…" He takes the boy's hand and shakes it firmly. "I never thought I'd see you in this kind of state." Shikamaru remarks.

The boy blinks his eyes momentarily. _**'A colleague of my other self…'**_

"Likewise…" Gaara answers, approving such a character to be one he is acquainted of in his past life.

Shikamaru chuckles, finding that such maturity coming from a child is rather amusing.

"Ehh? Why is Gaara being more buddy, buddy to this annoying brain than me?" Naruto points out, interrupting their little introduction. "This kid…" Naruto grudgingly drops his mug at the counter and then charges at Gaara, ignoring Shikamaru who is between them. "Uzumaki rampage attack!" The blonde shouts.

"Oi oi oi! Don't drag me into this! Arrgh!" Shikamaru tries to reason, but fails in anguish. "Crazy Old Man…" Gaara viciously lashes out his sand. "Wohoo! Count me in!" Kankuro dives at the brawl intentionally, taking out his puppets to play. It is like any average bar, a basement filled with drinks and good food, great sounds and sights, and the occasional fights with company. Stupid company.

"NARUTO SUPER SECRET TECHNIQUE!" Uzumaki bellows with an excited grin.

"I'LL MURDER YOU OLD MAN! MURDER YOU!" The boy threatens.

And amongst the chaos and the useless attempts of refraining by local Anbus, Gaara is really smiling inside. He really is.

.

* * *

.

KONOHA: Sunday/**Local Konoha Park**/**50 feet from Guest House**/**11:45 PM**

"I WANT TO EAT TAKOYAKI!" Naruto shouts at the top of his voice, bringing his hands on the sides of his mouth, aimlessly shouting at the night sky.

"ALL THE TAKOYAKI STALLS ARE CLOSED! IDIOT!" Kankuro replies with the same volume of annoyance, shouting at nothing but the gleaming stars.

"I WANT TO EAT RAMEN!" The purple pug of a face shouts, returning the beckoning call of the blonde idiot.

"ALL THE RAMEN STALLS ARE CLOSED! IDIOT!" Naruto replies for the nothingness of the night, screaming out his glee of conversing with the endless unknown.

"Wait a second, 'I want to eat Ramen' was supposed to be my line!" The blonde realizes, correcting the hooded guy about such an occurrence. "Oh yeah…" Kankuro merely says.

Both of the boys look at each other, dazed and blinking their eyes lazily. "BWAHAHAHA!" Both of them burst out laughing, so much so that in the pain of their hysterical amusement, they fall down into the ground covered with grass. They go on with their ridiculous banter at the open field, rolling around silly and trying to make grass angels or green starfishes.

While the two spectators on the other hand, watches them with the relief that at least it is too dark for anyone to see that they are around a couple of idiots.

"I'm sorry about my brother." Gaara says with great sympathy. "I'm sorry about our village idiot." Shikamaru adds with the same amount of embarrassment.

"Hey hey hey!" The two jokers come toppling and holding on to each other as they makes their way to Shikamaru and Gaara, who are sitting by the side of the road, confronting the field. "Where's that bottle of Koshu? Let's end this with a bang!" Kankuro bellows, making a gun with his hand and then pretends to hit the sky. Koshu - A special unique kind of Sake that is aged for decades, having a distinct golden yellow tint.

The two takes a seat comfortably beside Gaara, taking out a big bottle of Rice wine and some distinct land of fire signature sake saucers.

"Here ya go…" Naruto passes on saucer with wine filled to the rim to Kankuro, who awaits patiently for everyone to get their share. "One for you…" Shikamaru takes the offered Sake in a customary gesture, letting the clay rest slightly on his palms while his right fingertips kept the whole thing balanced. "One for me…" The blonde fills his own clay saucer with the sweet fragrant liquid. "And lastly…" He offers the last saucer to Gaara. "One for the red head." He gives him a smile that exudes genuine pride. "You earned it." The blonde states, speaking for the rest of them.

Gaara doesn't understand what he meant with those words, he looks at the saucer filled with golden lucid wine with reluctance. He looks at his 'Uncle', searching for a sign of acceptance from him. Kankuro in turn, quietly but firmly nods, bringing his saucer up, gesturing a celebratory occasion. Seeing as his brother is keen to the fact that he is being offered not so mild taken discreetly liquor, he takes the clay saucer with proper poise and etiquette. "Now everyone…" Naruto raises his bowl to the starry night, before consuming it slowly.

Kankuro blows the beverage like he is handling hot liquid, making ripples at the precious water. Shikamaru closes his eyes as he drinks, taking in slow deep breaths. The boy brings the plate unto his lips. The ice cold drink warms up the body; a venomous cocktail of the earth consumes him, along with the others, to a place that only they can see. To a world separate from reality, a world of Zen. As Gaara drinks from his own saucer, he listens intently with his heart… The liquid singing as loud as the crickets on the marsh nearby, and as melodious as that of a cicada.

The guy with the ponytail looks up at the wonderful tranquillity of this evening. A wonderful nostalgic night, of men silently watching the brilliance of the universe while basking in the mysterious allure glow from above. Their eyes reflecting the waning sphere of solitude, appreciating the large prominent radiating eye of the sky. "Having fun kid?" Naruto pats the hair of Gaara softly, chucking his arm to rest on the boy's shoulders.

The red head didn't bother to shrug the blonde's hand off. He brings his clay saucer down to their grassy carpet, taking the bottle of Sake still half full of the wine. He offers to pour Uzumaki's now empty glass. The blonde, surprised at first, presents his flask in front of the boy, honoured by such a special service. With immense control, Gaara manages to fill the young man's clay bowl up to the rim without a tremble but concise. "Domo.." Naruto expresses with gratitude. "Hn.." Was Gaara's only reply.

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_Meanwhile, above these two young men inhabited by beasts, are the beasts themselves._ _Conversing together, telling stories about the past and the present._ _The Shukaku laughs at a joke the Kyuubi tells, filling up the bowl slowly with the water of life, using its large powerful tail._ "_**We brought up two strong kids, haven't we?" **_ _The beast of wind compliments, lapping the clear wine._ "_**I agree."**_ _The beast of fire replies with a rough chuckle._ _They enjoy their momentary interaction, looking over at the four boys who lie at the fields of tomorrow without a care in the world._

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**Gaara's Current Age:** **12 Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment: Four Months and One day**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	14. His first detention

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His First Detention"**

**(Life as a Student-Part One)**

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**Gaara's Previous Age:** **12 Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **Four Months and One day**

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**KONOHA: Monday**/**Konoha Guest House**/**6:00 AM**

She can smell the fresh air, feeling the cool breeze enticing her face. Her eyelashes flutter at the close proximity of warm inviting daylight. She can hear the wonderful sound of the outside world, singing beautifully as a greeting. Her fair face is glowing with tranquil content, a smile playing on her delicate lips. She stretches her waking limbs, letting out a feminine yawn as she combs through her long pink locks. Her gentle arms envelopes the body that she momentarily separated from, caressing the individual.

She could feel broad sturdy shoulder and a well-built arm with her delicate hands. Her fingers traces from the nape of a strong neck to a toned torso, lightly pressing on a slightly heaving chest. She hears a soft comforted murmur from her faint touch. An unfamiliar voice of awkward youth of which she vaguely remembers. A sound that is neither of a boy nor that of a man. Her heart momentarily stops, she avoids moving recklessly, struggling to breathe. She wills herself to keep her life beating, a mild frown playing on her forehead.

Her own chest rises, taking in cool and calming oxygen, soothing herself. With immense control, she keeps her actions natural and not alarming. She motions to the backside of the person, passing from a distinct rib cage to the slightly prominent spine. The individual is taller than her, seeing as she can only recognize the lower medial discs of his back. Not only is he much bigger than she is, he is more capable enough to crush her without delay. Cautiously she trickles upwards back to the nape, slightly brushing through his thick matte mane.

Faintly tugging on to a bundle of the person's hair, she positions herself into a slightly reasonable advantage. Tilting her head, she edges to closer to the man, their noses almost touching. And with one last long breath, she anticipates for a possible means of attack. Listening to the shifting morning breeze that is turning the atmosphere to a moment of silence, she rests her other hand on the stranger's shoulder blade, gripping steadily without a flinch. Her hold is stable, drawing in a sense of being calm; instead of any sign of anxiousness. She is focused to keep her stability, ready to strike with the intent of death.

Sakura opens her stunning tenacious eyes. Her pupils are the rebellious colour of lucid and vibrant chrome tourmaline. Dye that can only be found at the innermost depth of a forest, exotically secluded and faintly sun kissed. She gazes on to the man that she does not recognize. At first glance, she thought it was an angel, swearing that she saw a pair of wings just before she focused her vision on what is in front of her. But as precious moments pass, she is certain that he is a deity. A mythological being with crimson red blood hair and pale soft marble skin rests in her wake.

She averts from her hold on his neck, her other arm collapsing from her previous grasp on his shoulder. With her trembling fingertips, she brushes through his stray bangs that cover his face. She gasps. The most perfect statue could not even describe this person's adamant features. His facade is chiselled with prominence yet delicate refine. A nonchalant smile is carved on his lips. Having been distracted by his taunting mouth, she shifts from her lowered stare, slowly making her way to the rest of his visage.

Only to be entranced by a pair of eyes that is opening, long lashes fluttering to slowly rise. His eyes. His beautiful eyes.. His pupils are so intense, a pair of precious piercing stones that are cut in a very unique way. So deep and mysterious, prominently dark yet alluring like that of the deepest lake. Being complimented with her chrome tourmaline eyes, are his eyes of overwhelming chrome diopside. What were once sleeping stone irises have come to life, influenced by the presence of shimmering diamonds, staring right at her, reflecting a persona that is bursting with life and compassion.

But also awe, outspoken disbelief and many more feelings he cannot quite comprehend. He lightly rises from his position, shifting his tucked arm to rest more comfortably on his side, With his free arm, he lays his hand comfortably on the woman's soft flushed warm cheek. "Mom… are you alright?" Gaara asks her, with a somewhat deeper yet strained voice of which she cannot recognize. "Mom?" However, Sakura continues to look on in a daze, finding everything of this foreigner to be alive and real..

Apart from the world that they made for themselves, the universe that enfolds them is still presently divine; Reality that is mortal and changing, making music and pictures harmoniously cohering with each other. She can still feel the calming morning wind that soothes her aching nerves, the warm rays of light that slowly evaporates her cold sweat. She can still hear the leaves that are dancing in circles, the small chirps of birds perched on the trees. She can smell the tantalizing aroma of peaches and waffles wafting from the nearby market, and see fray petals of cherry blossoms fall gracefully unto their resting place.

Blossoms that flare colours of similar to both carnation pink and red rose. And as they lie in one bed together side by side, the fair maiden could not help but wonder… Just how exactly should a woman react in this kind of predicament? And then she realizes, having not even given it a second thought. She screams.

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KONOHA: Monday/Konoha Guest House/**6:05 AM**

Sakura's cry is heard all throughout the guest house, never failing to reach the ears of those who know her well. Naruto seems to jump from the unprepared scare, falling from the couch that he was sleeping on. Kankuro who was not able to get to his own bed last night, hits his head on the table that he is currently sleeping in. Temari who was wearing a sleep mask to cover her eyes, runs out of her room blind, toppling on her brother's exposed leg. The three of them mutter their own share of curses and sounds of aching pain.

"Who the hell is shouting so early in the morning?" The hooded person asks loudly, followed by the continuous wail of someone in distress. And then a very loud thud is heard, bewildering noises coming from one concentrated area of the building. Seeing that they are two people short, they look at each other with a unanimous decision. The group of three starts stumbling over to the narrow corridors, falling over at each other repeatedly.

"Sakura!" Naruto bursts into the room, never failing to make a destructive entrance by breaking the door into pieces. He is then faced with rather questionable scenery. No one was physically present at the room, but he sees the door to the terrace is wide open and occupied. He immediately rushes to the veranda, searching from his usual height before glancing down to the ledges. Soon enough, there she is down on her knees, sobbing with her back turned from his position. "Sakura…" Uzumaki rushes to her side, lightly resting his hand on her shoulder, looking at her with concern.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" He asks. She slowly turns around to confront him, tears brimming on her eyes. "Sakura…" And then his hair stands up, a cold sensation shooting through his spine. They are not alone, someone else is amidst. He stands and scans of wherever one might hide under these circumstances, but could not find any unknown aura riveting nearby. And then it occurs to him, dashing back indoors as he recalls that there is some sort of writhing lump wrapped with blanket lying on the floor when he entered. His ears prick at the sound of groaning, finding that his trivial assumption to be true.

"Ouch… that hurt…" The draped person manages to stand from his angle, now hovering right in front of him.

"You… You pervert!" Naruto attacks the suspect without hesitation, lunging after him with his weight and strength. Both of them crash down to the wooden floor with a loud quake, startling the siblings who are still prying themselves out of the broken door. "What the hell were you trying to do with my precious Sakura!" The blonde head clasps with both his hands on the man's visible throat, not bothering to remove the covers.

"N-Naruto, wait!" Sakura tries to stop her friend from going any further, still trying to sober up from uncontrolled tears and short breaths.

"I'll tear you up from limb to limb!" Naruto shouts, ignoring the girl's warning.

"Oi! Someone tell me what is going on!" Kankuro scolds, wondering what the commotion is all about.

"Where's Gaara?" Asks Temari as she goes to Sakura's side, relieved that the pink kunoichi is present but worried that her little brother is nowhere in sight.

"He's… He's…" Sakura attempts to explain in between her sobs.

Seeing that his best friend is having such a hard time to explain herself, his eyes is widening and his pupils constrict as he slowly turns at the man under him.

"I'll friggin kill you, you sick bastard…" Naruto says with a murderous look. He raises his fist up high. But just as he is about to crush his clenched hand on the person's struggling face, Sakura instantly goes to the defense of the cloaked offender, keeping the blonde young man's fist in mid-air. And then punching Naruto right on the face.

"Listen to what people are saying before you start making assumptions!" Sakura scolds the blonde, wiping the last of her overwhelmed tears.

"Assumptions? What are you talkin' about? I'm trying to pummel this creep over here!" Naruto pulls the blanket that is covering the said pervert's face. "See? This guy is - This… This guy…" His sentence trails into utter confusion of silence.

Struggling to pull the covers entirely from his upper torso, his free hand is holding on what seems to be a mild bump on his head. He groans from the pain of both the throbbing new bruise and the heavy weight of the young man who is currently on top of him. Naruto and the rest of the group gawk at the person who does not seem to be too young as they are. "It's me, old man… che… so annoying…" His voice is a little cracked as he comments on such a reckless brawler, still lightly rubbing his swelling injury.

"Mom… that hurt…" Gaara whines like the child that he really is, but they are now having a hard time finding such a minor scrape to be any painful at all. Especially since his body looks are way too capable to handle a series of articulate massacre pounding. He momentarily stops from holding on to his growing bruise, to open his eyes and see the crowd looking at him with very shocked faces. He looks up to see a woman standing by the rather bewildered guy, who is lying on the ground at the side. She is looking back at him, not going immediately to his side and sympathize about his wound while healing it.

"M-mom?" He calls out again, alarming her even further. Sakura's quivering lips started to form into a warm and enthusiastic smile, her eyes still misty but twinkling with delight. His voice is so strange to everyone, so different from what they are used to for days and weeks… well, for a while now.

"A little shrill pitched bro… haha…" The General taunts, finding this event amusing. Kankuro swears he heard his brother's voice in that mixture of adolescent awkward tone, his chest swells with satisfaction.

"Looks like he needs a new haircut… or maybe not.." The blue-eyed woman points out with delight. Temari recalls a time when Gaara has played that familiar longer than usual cut, his bangs that depict mischievous youth and clean cut ends for superiority. The boy in turn, looks at them with a conscious look, darting at every pair of eyes, searching for whatever is bugging them.

"What are you guys looking at?" The kazekage asks, like his wayward manner of questioning them is not odd. Their attention goes from his face to his lower extremities, laughing as Gaara blinks his eyes unknowingly.

"Man, looks like you need a whole new wardrobe…" Kankuro says, controlling his laughter. His big brother is right; the kid really does need to change his clothes. To wear something that actually fits.

The red head peers down to find that his light blue pajamas are smaller than usual. What were once his sleeves is now barely reaching his elbows; his usually folded cuffs of his pants are now only able to reach his knees. He realizes that he is actually having a hard time to breathe and feel uncomfortable with his tight wear. One of his buttons actually pops out of his top, almost hittijng Naruto's face.

"Gaara-bear…" Sakura motions to her son, having gotten over her slight hesitation to tend to the boy quickly due to such a new detail that takes time to get used to. She is now a mother of a teenager. Prone to moody outbursts, uncontrollable growth spurts and dreaded pimple popping stage of life. In fact, she can actually see some zits on the edges and upper area of his face. "Aww… look at you!" Sakura reacts, going towards him to give a hug. Gaara glances at himself before he is embraced by his mom. Only when he feels Sakura's shoulder brushing against his chin, did he find his situation to be so real.

"You're so tall!" Sakura separates from him temporarily to be in awe of their newfound difference. The pink haired girl stands at a height of 5'2 while the red head is stooping at a height of 5 feet. She is only 2 inches taller than he is. Finding all of this to be so new, he starts to feel a little apprehensive. But as the girl returns to his arms and then gently pats his back, he calms down.

Her touch is so soothing, it is like his aching bones and muscles from the strenuous development are being relieved as well. He doesn't understand how he got to this form so fast, nor does he remember how he got to this appearance. But missing what has been his usual normal gate is soon replaced by a sense of content. To hold on to his mother in such ways that he needs not to tip on his toes or tilt his head up to see her face to face. He hugs Sakura back and closes his eyes to hide his ecstatic emotions, liking the fact that he can now let her rest his arms on his own.

"I am so happy…" Sakura tells him with welled up emotion.

He gives out a small smile. He's happy too. Perhaps being a teenager is not so bad after all… Then again.. Perhaps these years will be the most ridiculous years of his life.

"Whoa, it is Gaara-chan!" Naruto rises from his situation, standing behind them and looking at the boy who looks at him in return with a rather annoyed glare. "Haha, sorry for mistaking you for some perv kid. I tend to get a little too defensive when it comes to Sakura so…" The blonde is about to rest his hand on the boy's shoulders, the red head, but thinking that he is about to put a hand on his mother. He turns while holding on to Sakura by shifting his foot and directing both their mass. Naruto's hand ends up at Gaara's back, keeping him from landing a hold on even a single hair of the girl.

With Sakura questioning his uncalculated actions in front of him, he shifts his head to look at Naruto violently, staying in between as a blocker. This boy's frown looks as deadlier as ever, in fact, his way of intimidating people actually seems to have gotten worse. Telling the blonde that he isn't the only one who is defensive when it comes to Sakura.

"Heeh~, looks like getting a little bigger is not the only ego that grew here…" Naruto points out with a taunting grin.

"Now, now, play time is over…" Temari includes herself into the conversation, pulling Naruto's shirt from the back to prevent him from making a possible destructive influence. "You go get some clothes for Gaara to wear while we make breakfast." The blonde whose hair is currently tied into a ponytail, dictates to Uzumaki, already pulling him out of the room.

"What about me?" Kankuro asks.

"You go get us some groceries." The Prime minister orders the General.

"What about you?" Naruto questions.

"I'll stay here and protect Gaara from the possible raid of preteen fans." Temari simply replies with a smirk.

The two boys look at each other and then at the girl who is still wearing night wear and fashioning her golden locks into a messy bun.

"You're coming with us." They both say with a generic unison, their hands locking into her shoulders heavily.

"H-hey! What are you guys doing?" She question their actions loudly as both of the infidels drag her out of the room while she protests loudly as they go.

When they left, Gaara takes this time to notice whatever they have been pointing out a while ago. He stands on a long stand mirror, looking at himself from top to bottom. It is like he is about to jump as soon as he sees his own reflection, not recognizing himself for the first time. With one hand, he waves at himself to be certain that he is truly the person in the mirror, and then he scratches his rather shaggy thick hair. He could fill his fingers digging mildly on his scalp, informing him that he is who he thinks he is. A soft tap on the shoulder stutters him; he turns his head slightly to find Sakura beaming beside him.

"Good morning, Gaara-bear." She says in a welcoming gesture, never failing to instantly loosen up the strains of his heart. The woman leaves the room, exiting for the boy to experience this newfound occurrence on his own. His eyes follow her with wonder and enthusiasm, enjoying the view of her head that can now be seen in an overseeing level.

He glimpses at the mirror and then sighs. He looks out at the window, anticipating another wave of change in this chapter of his life. _**'Another new day, another new body.'**_ He smiles. **The same life.** He stretches his limbs like a cat that just woke up after a nap. "Good morning." He greets at himself, and at the world. A new beginning indeed.

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KONOHA: Monday/**Konoha Ninja Academy**/**Private Institution**/**Chuunin level accommodations**/**7:30 AM**

A long exaggerated sigh. "Old man…" He states grudgingly, affirming the one cause of his current condition. He looks at the tall sturdy gates with detest. "What nuisance." He mutters, before flinging his pack to his back… Gaara stands somewhat irritably at the front of the local high school, his presence so indifferent from the rushing crowd who enters the academy willingly. He wears a rather unusual outfit that he is not used to, clothes that are lighter to wear and more breathable.

A school uniform. Such an outfit to him feels so cliché, they are nothing that he would think of wearing and they don't seem to fit him very well. Although the required clothes he wears appear to make him rather uncomfortable. His cotton polo long sleeve shirt loosely clinging to him like they are made one size bigger to reek confidence and show a stern yet brooding frame. The academy's symbolic noir coat layers his shoulders nicely, the Konoha sign sewn on the front pocket and Suna's own mark knotted on his arm.

He drags a pair of sneakers on the ground, declining to wear the uncomfortable leather shoes that are suggested. Not even willing to at least fold the ends of his formal pair of pants, and thus dragging them until they soon will seam. If it isn't for Naruto and his consequential laziness of looking for clothing, Gaara wouldn't be in this situation. When Gaara has gone out of the washroom after changing his now unusable outfit, they found the costume so ideal for him. So fitting in fact, that they had the most atrocious idea. To make Gaara go through all walks of puberty all over again; including the sightly and unsightly perks of such a self-conscious stage.

"What a life." The red head sighs again, blowing a tuft of his hair to face his next adversary: High School

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KONOHA: Monday/Konoha Ninja Academy/**Teacher Faculty Room**/**Side Veranda**/**Second Floor**

"I heard that when they supposedly mentioned Kankuro as his brother, Gaara's nose started to bleed." Kiba informs his colleague, sipping a nice hot mug of coffee. He brings his hands down to the ledge of the makeshift kitchen, bending to ease the weight of his body.

"Woof! Woof!" Akamaru agrees by barking beside him, chewing a piece of bone treat.

**Kiba Inuzuka.** A chῡnin level ninja, who is taking some additional classes to gain back his jounin rank ever since he failed a D rank mission that required him to return a lost pig. Unfortunately, he got so hungry along the way, to the point that he can't take it anymore and so he made the hog into a barbeque and ate it. He doesn't regret his infidel decision. The pig was delicious. While he is being re-educated for manners, he is teaching intermediate level genins about basic hunting and scouting techniques with his well trained dog named Akamaru.

He wears appropriate clothing, scratching underneath his awkwardly tightened collar as he continues to enjoy coffee with a friend.

"Seriously? What an abnormal reaction…" Neji responds, and then takes a sip of his herbal tea. He sits on a chair by the coffee table, watching the view below carefully. His grey opal eyes darting on the students, looking for any possible interference to the peace of the school grounds.

**Neji Hyūga.** A part time junior professor at the academy, he is also working full time as the assistant to the head of the Hyuuga family. He is also a consistently employed for B rank missions, as well as consultant for A rank missions and strategist for B and C rank missions. Despite his multi-tasking capacity, he still finds time to enjoy casual and meaningless conversation with his long time allies and team mates. Seeing that his way of dressing himself is considered formal enough not to be altered in any way, he wears his usual white robes but with some educator detail.

"Meh, when you think about it, just the thought of having puggy as a brother seems to be a fairly suicidal reason." Kiba adds, grabbing a cookie from the coaster Neji hands him, biting the pastry like how he handles meat.

"That is certainly agreeable." The light brown long haired man comments, reading the daily newspaper with content. "Such an anomaly should be well examined; perhaps this curiosity will be entertaining for a while." The light-brown haired young man continues, shifting his concentration back to the vision outside while drinking more of his tea.

"Haha, not for you that is." Kiba interjects, taking the set opposite from Neji's. "That guy is going to be a handful." The dog advocate smirks.

"That's true." The Hyuuga clan's most trusted advisor with visible pupils agrees. "But at least I don't have to deal with it." He points out, flipping some of his stray long hair with noble class.

Kiba laughs, finding his co-worker's reply amusing. "I wonder what he looks like…" The young man ponders, giving his big dog a nice belly rub.

"He must be one intimidating kid, that's for sure." Neji answers, well aware of such a fact. "One juvenile nightmare."

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KONOHA: Monday/Konoha Ninja Academy/**Freshmen 2-A Classroom**

"I am sooo bored."

The boy with dark brown hair tosses his long scarf to his back hastily, his cheek resting on his hand. He chews on his tie that embezzles the Konoha symbol as he folds his long sleeves of his white cotton top.

**Konohamaru Sarutobi.** The grandson of Biwako and Hiruzen Sarutobi, a fourteen year old Genin who is aiming to become the seventh Hokage while believing that Naruto will be the sixth. He has succeeded in leveling up as a ninja and replaced his pair of goggles that his idol Uzumaki gave to him with a nice piece of forehead protector. Currently mastering Rasengan and Sexy Technique taught by his oh so horrific big brother of an instructor, He usually escapes from school from time to time by using such forms to freedom. His Sexy technique works wonders, much to Ebisu's dismay.

"You won't be bored for long." His long time lackey responds, adjusting his glasses and then approaching him to share the latest news.

**Udon** **Morihito**. A light mossy brown haired young fourteen year old Genin who seem to have allergies on everything. Accessorized by his large rimmed glasses and a box of facial tissue, he seems to be rather too sick to be able to fight seriously. Part of the team Ebisu that is lead by a perverted sensei named Ebisu, he is known as the wallflower of the group. In reality, due to his neutral like personification, his senses are sharp and very keen to collecting valuable information. Like a falcon, able to observe any level or location. Like a dog, he can hear and smell forms of suspicion concerned.

"I heard we are going to have us a new transfer student today." He says with a grin, proud of his discovery while he hands out today's homework to his friend.

"Ooh, I heard about that rumour too!" A girl with orange hair that is split into a split hairstyle pops out from behind, pushing Udon slightly aside.

She recognizes them with alertness, finding that such a topic is truly an epic one.

**Moegi Fuchigami.** An orange split haired tied in separate ponytailed fourteen year old girl, who has red blushing cheeks and large eyes with long lashes. The one young woman of team Ebisu, she is like the critical and bossy mother of both Konohamaru and Udon. At times she would even scold her Sensei and Instructor named Ebisu for nose bleeding incredulously and being irresponsible when attacked by visions of women. Interested in majoring in mednin practice, she is planning to become a medic apprentice as well as a part time fashion designer.

"I heard it is going to be an exchange student from Suna, an official's son!" The girl twirls her high school uniform skirt, her bedazzled reaction is accompanied with many other girls across her, altogether they start to scream and shriek in response as well.

"Yeah, I know." The Sarutobi boy answers lazily.

"What? You knew already?" His friend questions, looking at him with surprise.

"Of course…" He confirms again with much gloating, pointing at himself with his thumb, his chest lifted high and his chin lifted. "Because I will be the one who is going to be showing him around the school!" He gives them a mischievous grin.

"Really?" This loud sort of proclamation has brought not only his allies to attention, but also the rest of the class.

"Who told you?" Udon asks, finding it hard to believe that someone would have such recent information way before he is aware of it.

"And how did you get to show him around? That's so unfair!" The girl adds in a protest, she shakes Konohamaru momentarily before Udon refrains her so as to avoid a possible casualties.

"Big brother Naruto stopped by at my place and then gave me this task just a few hours ago, telling me that it's a very important mission!" Konohamaru notifies them without a hint of shyness, fixing his ruffled shirt to cover his bare shoulder that shows after his shirt was pulled recklessly. "He told me that Old lady Tsunade requested me to be the new kid's escort. Seeing as I am also the son of an official and more importantly because I am just the right guy for the job!" He laughs loudly with mirth, standing while his hands rest on his hips, his face barely shows as he brings his spine to a curve to define his high stature.

"How odd…" Udon brings his thumb and index finger on the base of his chin, still finding such an anomaly to be incredible.

"Yup!" Konohamaru sits back to his chair, edging to be only balanced by two poles of his stool and then brings his feet to rest on his table.

"I wonder what he looks like…" Moegi adds to their conversation, taking her seat at the front of Konohamaru and then brings her hand on her cheek. "I don't know… but I bet he's one hell of a guy… knowing big bro Naruto and all…" Sarutobi reasons, bending his arms, and then cushioning his head with his palms. He looks up at the sky beside them, their location by the low large windows of the room.

"Um… is he that guy over there?" Udon sniffles as he points out of their good view of the school grounds, having now taken his seat that is behind Konohamaru's chair.

"WHERE?" Konohamaru jumps from his relaxed seated position, and then pushes his chair and table away to have a better look.

"Right there." The guy wearing spectacles again averts his team mate's focus unto the entrance of the private school institution. Sarutobi clan's valued successor tosses half of his body at the rim of the window, not even bothering to balance himself as he looks for the said person.

"Whoa!" Udon and Moegi immediately grab a hold on him, the orange haired girl holding unto his long scarf while the boy with glasses tug on his friends pants.

"What are you trying to do Konohamaru Sarutobi!" Moegi shouts, hitting him on the head. Their reckless colleague didn't care of his friends' nor his classmates' reactions as he scans the grounds for his important mission.

The former Hokage's grandson, with his one knee, lifts his body entirely out of the safety of the room, and then dives to a deadly height.

"Konohamaru!" The girl shouts.

Much to their relief, the boy is actually now standing at the ledge of the building just below them.

"Konohamaru! Come back here right this instant!" Moegi dictates.

"K-Konohamaru, that's dangerous!" Udon also warns his friend, not wanting to be a part of the girl's given punishment if her orders are not followed.

The able bodied boy does not listen, finding the particularly odd target right in front of him. "There he is!" He jumps off the ledge and then miraculously ends up in the ground on his feet, making his classmates resume to breathing regularly. "Heey! Over heeeree!" He starts waving enthusiastically at the person who is going to his direction in a hesitant but passive manner.

"Hello there! Stran… ger…" His heightened gesture slows down, his arms losing its strength as the person comes closer… now a few feet away. His hyper grin is now losing its pep, his throat getting dryer by the minute. "You… You're…" He brings his own trembling arm up, and then directs at the kid who is the same age as he is with his index finger. Only when he closes and then opens his eyes as the young man stands before him, mere inches and of same height, does he acknowledge his hallucination. He gulps, consuming this heavy fact that is truly hard to swallow.

The young man seems to loom before him, although his eyes are looking straight on his. More calm and confident than his current host, he comb through his red matted hair to look at him more properly with his already intimidating features. "You were calling out to me?" The newly enrolled freshman asks Sarutobi in the most polite way that he can, although his tone seem to be more of a daring and insulted kind of voice.

Konohamaru is left muted and stripped of colour.

.

* * *

.

KONOHA: Monday/Konoha Ninja Academy/**Freshmen 2-A**/**8:00 AM**

The door opens to reveal a very pale looking boy in front of them. He looks like he is about to vomit, pursing his lips and breathing quite ecstatically. His face is beading with cold sweat and his eyes blinking too much than normal. It is as if he just saw the most incredible being that he has ever seen. Realizing the gaping audience in front of him, he intentionally shivers with much effort to release tension and newfound anxiousness. The preteen coughs softly, preparing words that he has yet to speak of. His confidence failing him a bit, but not entirely.

He robotically makes his way to his chair, faintly pulling and then stiffly sitting on his chair. Moegi, who is sitting behind, looks at him with irritation that is rapidly growing to worry. Udon turns and then rests his arm on the head of his chair, looking at him with a questioning look.

"Well?" The guy with glasses asks him with anticipation.

"Well what?" Konohamaru interjects, not willing to delve any further.

"Well where is he?" Moegi stammers, taking the boy by the shoulders and then gives him a good shake to wake his senses.

"He's at the hallway, Sensei is talking to him before he can go inside…" Sarutobi says, feeling ever more nauseous, having told them the dreaded truth.

"What happened? You're acting all strange, and you were rather looking uncomfortable when you were talking to the guy from our view." Udon asks with pure concern, taking a wad of tissue and then blowing from his nose.

"Well… It's kinda hard to explain…" Sarutobi scratches his head, finding it truly hard to explain.

"What do you mean?" Moegi asks with upmost patience, trying not to wring her friends neck from keeping them anticipating.

"You'll know soon enough…" The young hokage apprentice says grimly as he stares at the entrance of their class room, accompanied by his friends who are just as apprehensive on who exactly is beyond that door.

.

.

KONOHA: Monday/Konoha Ninja Academy/**First year Hallway**/**In front of Fresh men 2-A **

"Hmmm..." .The silver haired sensei looks at him directly with one eye, a mask covering most of his face. He crouches down to meet the boy's gaze to reduce strain of peering from his normal altitude. The juvenile didn't mind that he is being assessed ridiculously, until the man pulls his forehead protector to sink his normal eye. And then uncovering a stunning glare of red and black. Like a prominent spinning wheel, showing of a proud clan and its prominent colours. He is surprised at first, stunned by such a pupil that seems to take his attention entirely, he takes a step back out of instinct.

**Kakashi Hatake.** A Jōnin level shinobi and the leader of team 7 who is known for his rare and unique sharingan and thus earning him the given name known as Copy Ninja Kakashi. He has silver grey hair and one eye protruding from his dented forehead protector. He barely shows half of his face, his mouth and part of his nose are masked. Hatake is working on the future chūnin and jōnin interns; having sufficiently mentored the former team 7 composed of Sakura, Naruto, Sai and supposedly Sasuke. Currently he is mentoring chūnin, sorting out potential students compatible and capable of his specialties.

Gaara could tell that this person, who is giving him a critical eye, is someone who he cannot mess with. He could sense their differences to the very core; the boy could tell that he is a man who is beyond his given experiences. The wise sensei, however, new much more of this young boy than he thought Gaara would for himself. With his one eye that is flashing with both black and red, he could see the Kazekage's status that he can vaguely interpret. He sees large closed gates like that of Naruto's, a best lurching beyond the tall sealed boundaries that keeps it from making mayhem.

"You're late." Kakashi simply points out. He didn't comment on the fact that he could actually see the boy's Demon Spirit having a sip of wine in it's rather comfortable looking cell.

Thinking like a typical teenager, he figures that if he would threaten this tall hovering man somehow, that he could hold a good stand. He crosses his arms and then this time firmly plants his feet on the ground. "I know… so what? You got a problem?" Gaara says in a clearly not intimidated voice, gazing at Hatake with the same level of proximity.

Having heard the young man's voice, in such a way that he is not keen to or familiar with, his one Uchiha pupil constricts in surprise. He has not heard the Kazekage's voice in a dominant yet youthful way before, in fact, he has not heard Sabaku No utter much words in general. Taking one last close look at his student, looking at him face to face by bending much of his back to find any more form of interest. He reverts back to his laid back pose and then tilts down his forehead protector to hide and cover his Sharingan eye. He sighs and nods out of habit, and then waves at him in a not at all anxious demeanour.

"Nope. Not really." The well known ninja of Konoha simply states, and then turns to confront the door to which they will enter. Before he opens the door, he looks back at the young man just behind him without shifting much of his upper torso. His normal eye looks at him with a sly amused taunting glint. "Sakura has done well for you." He murmurs.

Gaara blinks, taken aback at the man's odd words and laughing yet proud eye towards him.

"Come on in." The man opens the door with a loud creak, the windows of the room is blinding with the morning sun. What was once a room filled with tension and chatter is quieted down in mere seconds, to the point that he could only hear birds chirping from the outside. His confused state is reverted into a stone cold sort of features, anticipating a room filled with judgmental and stereotypical prospective.

"Good morning class." Kakashi strides to the front of the room lazily and then shuffles papers by lightly tapping them on his desk.

"Morning Sir…" The whole class replied almost in unison, some choosing to purposely shout out their own unique greeting.

Konohamaru is not making a loud acknowledgement, which made some turn to his direction and wonder. Their Sensei even glances at the young Hokage aspirer, having noted that he is not making much of a fuss than usual. Finding that the boy is just reacting in a way that show with his pale skin from the previous interaction with the odd transfer student some time ago, He clears his throat and then smiles behind his mask to have an opportunity to enjoy this moment of surprising his class with this fresh entertainment. "Now, before we continue with our lesson… We have a new classmate who will be joining us…"

He turns to face the door that is still wide open with Gaara, still standing on the other side. With a lazy gesture, he urges the boy to come in. The young man reluctantly makes his way to the room, keeping his back straight and his eyes staring straight at blinding lights in front of him. He moves forward, but soon stops at his heels to turn and look away from the comforting bask of the sun. Almost all of the students seem to edge from their seat, squinting eyes from the momentary disruption of outside rays of light. "Now then, please introduce yourself…"

Having lowered his eyes when he kicked his shoes to pivot to the audience before him, he then gazes at all of them without a flinch. With one stunning straight glare, he manages to bring them to fall abruptly back to their seats. His regarded looks have also been taken notice to those who are not as interested seconds ago. A particular group, made out of thugs hanging around at the back, finds his presence to be so overpowering that they shift dangerously from their chairs. They know a possible killer when they see one.

Although Gaara's unemotional gaze is not directed to them but to the wall at their backs so as to keep his concentration, they seem to be taking his confident and unwavering character as an opposing menace. "What the hell Hatake… who is this guy?" A huge person, who is surrounded by startled yet unkempt minions, asks their teacher rudely, finding their new classmate to be a questionable individual. And they do have a right to be doubtful against such a person. Due to Gaara's prominent contours, he manages to catch the attention of every girl with a glance. Praying that such a handsome kid would look their way.

The boys are not amused that such a face will easily steal such envious attention, but his confidence and his gate demands respect. There is no hint of fear from this individual, neither a tremor nor sound of vulnerability. As more time pass, his existence could only grow and strengthen all throughout the class. Especially his air of confidence is reeking competition, thus now triggering the attention of each and every lurking infidel in the room. "Oi Hatake, I asked you a question. Who the friggin hell is he?" One of them throws an aluminum can directly at Kakashi, a beer can no less.

They look at the possible hilarity of seeing the item hit their sensei without mercy or dignity with snide smirks and spiteful shouting. But before this piece of metal could even touch a single hair on the Copy ninja's head, a hand catches the can instantaneously with ease. Gaara grips the can so much so that he crushes it, tossing it to the ground. Some jaws fall and voices drop, having not seen him in that spot mere seconds ago. The red head knows enough to understand that using the last name of someone in such a manner is rude and unbecoming.

By slamming his hand on the table, he just gives the questioning group a warning as well as a dare. The delinquent, who is accompanied with also provoked enemies, stand from their seats almost immediately.

"Yah lookin' for a fight, new kid?" The juvenile threatens.

Gaara glares at the large person who grins as he snaps his fingers and thus signaling his allies to move forward to deal with the boy. Facing six to eight men coming from different corners, the red head assumes a fighting stance that does not involve his usual sand gestures. Having left his sand gourd at home, as requested by his mother, he has promised not to use such feats as long as he resides in public areas. But she did not mention him using his fists. He brings his clenched hands closely to his face, ready to strike them down if need be.

"Okay, okay, now everyone be nice." Kakashi brings himself on the centre of this feud immediately, brings his arms up to hinder the conflict. "Let's not make a mess at this early hour shall we? I am not in the mood for your antics… especially you Kishimoto." The silver haired sensei warns them with a serious voice, looking at the leader of the delinquents blankly.

The unnaturally huge student drops his conniving grin, now appearing a little nervous as he glances at his teacher. Even the scariest most capable disciple in this school knows well enough not to mess with Hatake, when the man's usually laid back attitude is disturbed even slightly. The delinquent nods at his underlings to fall back, choosing to behave for now. Gaara also refrains himself, awkwardly bringing his arms down and reverting back to standing without contempt.

"Alrighty, now then…" Kakashi's voice goes back to its playful tone. Seeing that both factions have quieted down, the sensei goes back to the front while the trouble makers return to their locations. "Please introduce yourself to your classmates…" He tells the boy who still stands on the front, tapping the young man's shoulders. Gaara stares at his sensei or at the rest of the group who he is not acquainted with as much as he wanted to. He is wary of telling much of himself to strangers, but he bows his head at Kakashi with respect for his wishes.

And then he lowers himself at the rest of the class as well, his actions quite captivating and different to all of them.

"Good morning. My name is Gaara no Sabaku of Suna." He establishes his background with a voice that polishes his identity. It is inevitable for the red head to uncover a regal sort of origin, but his humble gesture has relaxed much of the tension in the room. "It's nice to meet you all." Having risen from his gesture of familiarity, he gives them a small smile.

A state of shock creeps into the room, a surge of electricity hits their spines like lightning. The Kazekage not only bowed to people who he has yet to be acquainted with, but also has offered them an enchanting beam of happiness. Kakashi drops his papers on the floor, temporarily losing the feel of his fingers from such a rare sight that he has thought he would not see in his lifetime. His introduction is so perfectly executed, no one had much to say but to gawk in admiration and smile with meekness and relief.

A few are clapping their hands, and then many follow with even more applause. As he gives the similarly son of an official a well deserved standing ovation… Sarutobi Konohamaru could not help but shake his head as he peers from his back to find that the new guy has already made new enemies. Their daily terrorist of the classroom is silenced and assumedly insulted. Kishimoto's jaw is tightened, his eyes seething with fury.

Biwako's grandson smirks. He could not believe the trouble that he is stuck with; such a mission that is already brewing with peril.

Both Moegi and Udon know exactly who he is, having met him briefly from the previous year as Gaara's former older self. But the boy with spectacles keeps his cool, nodding his head in approval of a possible intellectual rival. Although he is surprised that the Kazekage is currently in such a state, he trusts his friend will fill him in later. Seeing that the prince of sand is just their age, it makes the orange haired girl seem to jump with glee. She has always admired the big brother as a striking character and now the she gets to enjoy the experience of observing a younger version of the person.

After merely staring at the new classmate in awe, the room resonates with conversation and even more relentless noise. Greeting over such an epic feat, Kakashi-sensei coughs to interrupt the hype and return to conducting the class. "Mr... erm… Mr. Sabaku." He starts with unease. He scratches his luminous grey tuft of hair, finding it troublesome to recognize the Kazekage in such a manner.

"Please take your seat. I'll assume that you know Konohamaru since both of you are late today. Take the seat next to him." Kakashi points at the empty seat next to the boy with a long scarf who is waving at Gaara enthusiastically. The boy does as he is told, not noticing the steadfast stares and comments given by those that he passes by. He takes his seat beside the boy who is now alert and interested to the happenings for the rest of the day. Gaara is offered a high five.

He looks at the boy stiffly, finding the celebratory gesture to be odd, having started himself in this situation in a threatening figure to the public is doubtful for such. But the boy does not take back his arm that is extended towards him; his brightened face has reminded him of a certain blond old man. The future of Suna brings his hand up and takes the gesture with hesitance and resolution. Having done so, the strange boy then gives him a thumbs-up with a toothy grin.

From that posture alone, Gaara could tell that this must be that idiot Naruto's prodigy.

Konohamaru happily looks out from his window, looking forward to an interesting venture. This day may not be so boring after all.

.

* * *

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KONOHA: Monday/**Konoha General Hospital**/**Medical Faculty Section**/**Lounge guest room**/**9:30 AM**

"Sakura… Sakura, are you okay?" Shizune waves at the pink haired girl in front of her, trying to get some action other than staring politely into space.

"Y-yes?" Haruno replies. Finally her fellow apprentice nin is able to get her attention, as well as freeing her from a seemingly endless trance.

"Sakura, what's wrong? You have been in a daze for some time now, I asked you to check the patients in room 430 an hour ago." The black short haired girl looks at her with concern, letting the pet pig waddle on to the kunoichi's side to comfort her.

"Oh really? How silly of me…" The pink haired woman laughs lightly, patting the little hog on the head. Her apologetic smile slowly disappears, her lips going back to a reflecting pout.

Temari who is located at the opposite of her, edges from her seat and peers from dark rimmed eyes on to her friend to look at her closely. The blonde sighs in both mild irritation and understanding. She brings her coffee mug down to the table loudly to catch Haruno's attention. "Sakura!" The blonde Sandnin shouts.

The girl who is lazily stroking the pig is startled, pinching the small animal on its back, and therefore making it squeal.

"Huh? What?" The pink haired kunoichi lets go of the struggling pig from her hands, the pet gratefully goes back to its owner.

"You're doing it again…" Temari explains. Shizune gives the hog sympathetic strokes, carrying it as she seats between the two women.

Sakura moans, finding her need to zone out to be rather annoying. Still massaging her temples, the blonde looks at the troubled medic with strained and blood shot eyes. Having been persuaded by the girl to stay for at least a couple of days before leaving took a longer time, causing Temari to lose some sleep. Sakura managed to make the blonde to stay longer, but the Prime Minister's current disposition with her own personal relationship suggest that she also clearly needs the same need of open conversation.

"Alright, what's bothering you?" Temari simply asks, without going through the ease of introduction; watching the trouble woman's frowning forehead ease, followed by a relieved grateful grin.

"I don't really know, I guess I'm still not yet getting over the fact that Gaara-bear is already a teenager…" Sakura gives herself a sympathetic smile, finding it to be irritating of how petty she is right now.

"Ahh yes, it seems our mama bird is having a moment when she sees her little baby flap its wings." Shizune happily tries to explain Sakura's feelings, bringing a hand to her face and giving a misty eyed look.

"Actually more like, a mama bird who is terrified that the baby bird is trying to flap its wings at a very high height." Temari grins, finding that she's got her own interpretation right, seeing Sakura's face turn into realization. The pink haired kunoichi winces, finding her friend's words seemingly hilarious but just right.

"Is it that obvious?" Sakura asks. The blonde drinks the last of her caffeine before bringing it down to assure the anxious woman.

"He's going to do alright, Sakura… you did a fine job raising the boy." She pats her shoulder while Shizune pours some tea on Sakura's cup.

"I guess you're right… In fact both of you are." She confesses, taking a sip of hot soothing liquid. "I am a bit nervous for Gaara, I haven't been away from him for such a long time. I can't really say that I'm alright." Sakura's fingers tremble, showing her uneasiness; it is as if she is lacking something greatly. "A part of me still wants to stay by his side. But I know that this is for the best, for him to see the world on his own." She sighs. "I can't believe I'm saying this but… They grow up so fast."

Temari and Shizune look at her with understanding, and a hint of amusement. They never thought that they would have this sort of conversation that should be discussed after at least a few years more. But they have known well enough to notice maternal disposition when they see one.

"Want to check on him after your lunch break? I won't tell the Hokage, as well as you won't tell me I'm staying longer than she knows…" Temari suggests to her with a manipulative suggestion.

"Definitely." Sakura agrees, purposely falling for her blonde friend's deal.

Suddenly the doors of the room burst open, revealing two familiar women who look at them with enthusiastic surprise.

"So the rumours are true!" One of them with straight black hair points out with glee.

"Why didn't you tell us that you came back? Idiot big forehead Sakura!" The other with long blonde ponytailed mane protests.

Haruno's bewildered look quickly becomes animated familiarity. "Hey guys! It's been a while!" It truly has been a while, and more of a lifetime for a certain boy, as they begin a long chat of catching up with long time friends.

.

* * *

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KONOHA: Monday/**Konoha Ninja Academy****/****Fresh men 2-A**/**11:30 AM**

_**Flashback:**_

"_Gaara-bear~" _ _She says in a playful light tone, toying with his rust coloured hair as he is rushed to the washroom against his will._ _The two idiots left the house way before Gaara could even touch their heads, running away to avoid his wrath._ _Now he had to face this insane idea of actually going to this ridiculous ritual for children known as 'school', without much of consent._ "_Alright Mom, don't push me!"_ _He tries to plant his feet to the ground, still hesitating to go through such a troublesome task._ _Sakura hands him some amenities, for him to groom himself, all collected in a wooden bucket looking container._

"_I still want to go back to sleep…" _ _He bends his back and then rests the back of his head on his mother's shoulder, trying to prolong the process of going out to such annoying chore._

"_Now, now…"_ _His mother tickles him on the sides, making him twitch and laugh uncontrollably._

"_Mom!" He whines._

"_Do as I say dear…" _ _She pulls him on the ear, dragging him to the showers while tossing a towel unto his head._

"_That hurts!" _ _He tries in vain to get away, trying to hold on to the edges of the doors._

"_Trust me, Honey, it will be a wonderful experience!" She reasons, tugging him by the arm._ _He groans and gives up, knowing that she is too strong and manipulative to be reckoned with._ "_You'll meet a lot of people while you're there, some old and new familiar faces…"_

_He knows how she finds his interaction of his past to be important, but sometimes he wishes that she could let him be._ _Meeting these said allies of his is starting to become bothersome, especially since he could not even muster much of his lost memories._ _He has never thought that a lot of his so called acquaintances are men; he could have been dormant if they were less of a threat._ _But it is dubious, for all of them are far from his present calibre. Their levels are too ridiculous to mention._ _As soon as he see such older men, who just the right age as she is; he could not sate his instinct to protect… and probably kill._

"_Off we go!"_ _Sakura proceeds in pulling off his shirt._

"_M-Mom!"_ _He protests._ _For some odd reason, his face starts to get red and his skin bead with sweat._

_She had done this numerous times before, but this time, he didn't like a mere second of it._

"_Sakura!" His sister shouts from the kitchen._

"_Yes?" His mom answers, turning away from him._ _Looking at her from the back gives him a sense of relief; it is like the tension went away immediately._

"_I need your help with the pancakes! I don't seem to be getting the hang of it!" The blonde informs._

"_Oh, alright! Just a second!" She shouts back._

_He gulps in anticipation as she confronts him yet again, taking a few steps backward._

"_Now Gaara-honey, go wash up by yourself and you better be down in 10 minutes, you understand?"_

_The boy nods furiously, grateful that a convenient excuse has been made to get him out in this awkward situation._

"_Good. Don't forget to clean behind your ears!"_ _She tells him, folding the shirt that she took off before tossing it on the laundry bin._

"_Okay." _ _He briefly replies, pushing her gently to the door, scratching his thick hair with irate intention._

"_And your ankles! Don't forget to scrub your ankles!"_

"_Alright!"_ _He finally gets her out of the room before she can utter another word, relieved that the tension that has been present only a moment ago has subsided._

**Reality:**

"Oi, Gaara." Konohamaru nudges him on the shoulder with his elbow, urging him to concentrate on the current lesson. "Don't daze off or Kakashi will hit you with chalk." The dark haired boy warns him.

The red head, however, grimaces from his seat and looks away from both the boy and his sensei to look out at the window. Waiting for this school thing to be over with. He just doesn't see how learning from such a cramp space with smelly kids that reek with of sweat and strong perfume to be in any way fun. He starts recalling his early morning yet again with a yawn.

_**Flashback:**_

_After taking a shower and making his way back to his room, he finds his prepared uniform on his bed._ _His mother usually would lay his clothes for him on occasions; sometimes he thinks she's just spoiling him._ _But he didn't really mind much, wearing freshly ironed clothes feels so comfortable, it is like being covered by a warm blanket._ _He quickly pitches wax that his uncle has given him on his damp hair, dresses and then makes his way downstairs._ _When he gets to the kitchen, he finds his aunt successfully making pancakes while his mom is moulding up some onigiri. _

"_Morning dear…"_ _Sakura automatically makes her way to his side, looking as wonderful as ever, kisses him on the cheek and gives a light hug._ _Instantly, his troubled facade is diminished, replaced with a sense of his daily dose of indulgent cuddle._ _Ah well, at least this morning is like any other start._ _He makes his way to the table where a large plate of pancakes is waiting for him, wolfing his breakfast down without a complaint._

"_So, are you excited for school, nephew of mine?" Temari asks, handing him a fork._ _Aimlessly using his hands to feed himself seconds ago, he takes it with a grunt of but gratitude and whatever reaction to her question._

"_Of course he will! He'll meet new friends..,"_ _Sakura says as she pours the boy a cup of orange juice._

"_Honestly mother, I have not the vaguest idea why you encourage me to interact with more people in my life… having you all is quite enough." _ _Listening to her son speak in long sentences always intrigues her, such manner and prose is something she wonders about._

"_Hon, you won't be saying the same tune when you will be interested in girls your age…"_ _His mom stifles a laugh, finding it to be truly amusing conversation._

"_I couldn't care less about girls my age. You and Aunt Mawy are an adequate amount of cooties for me."_ _He means it entirely, true to his word. _ _Girls his age merely daunt him to hell._ _Women are pretty overwhelming creatures._

"_Aww Gaara-bear, we're flattered!"_ _The two ladies of his life give him a group hug._ _His cheeks start to burn up, not just from the familiar fuzzy feeling, but also from a twinge of consciousness._ _Sandwiched by soft adorable women is something to be anxious about. _ _Overwhelming creatures indeed._

_As much as he wants to stick longer at this position, he couldn't breathe._

"_Alright that's enough…"_ _He starts, trying to pry himself out but to no avail._ _Their hold on him only becomes stronger and tighter, cuddling him to oblivion._ "_Okay, I get it!"_ _He brings his arms up and pulls himself down from under them, and then makes his way to some air._

**Reality:**

"Ow!" Gaara reacts, in mild pain. A piece of chalk was hurled right on the middle of his forehead.

Immediately he stands, knocking out both his chair and his table, hitting Konohamaru on the back and Udon on the stomach. He rubs the spot on his head that is now turning red, swelling under the white powdery substance. He grimaces at the mild bruise forming on his head, looking down at another destruction that he just performed. Both the preteen boys are sprawled writhing on ground for his sudden reaction that would have knocked down anyone unconscious.

"That hurt, new kid." Udon manages to comment, gagging as he tries to get back up his feet, holding unto his gut.

"My spine… my poor spine…" Konohamaru whimpers, slowly bringing himself up with on hand directing his aching back while his other hand rests on his waist.

Moegi who is sitting beside the red head winces, finding the ordeal rather surprising and looking painful for the boys. The other students do not rise from their seats to see the conclusion of a classmate's slip, but they don't have to. They hide their amused smirks and stifle their laughs, peering at the scene by meekly looking from side to side.

"Now that I got everyone's attention…" The masked sensei brings up.

Gaara glares at the only direction possible for a piece of chalk to come out of nowhere.

"Let's go over the five major prominent nations…" Kakashi says without a sign of defiance, already writing with a new piece of chalk. Halfway through the chalk board as he speaks about something that the boy is not interested in. Gaara rolls his eyes, pulls his furniture back to him and then slumps back to his seat. For such a dazed looking teacher himself, he has some temper. The red head then adjusts his position in a more proper manner, looking like he is actually listening. After another few minutes, he is able to get back to his daydreaming.

_**Flashback:**_

"_Gaara Honey!" _ _She calls out to him in public._ _His eye twitches, finding her usual pet names for him to be rather bothersome today._ _He isn't too irritated when he is called this way indoors or only in front of family._ _But he is already out of their house, prone to the neighbours and fellow high school goers to listen on their conversation._ _He weakly turns to confront his mother who is making her way to him in a hurry._

"_Gaara-chan, you forgot your bento…" _ _She shows him a carefully cloth wrapped lacquer box._ _Bento_ - _A lacquer or wooden container used for conventional compact and transportable meals._ _A traditional container that used as packed lunches for students, but not so much in this day and age._

"_Thanks mom." He manages to utter as he nonchalantly takes his bento form Sakura._

"_No problem dear."_ _She tells him with a radiating smile that he just had to admire._

_He loves this side of her._ _Yes, he adores all her personalities; from being a medically inclined kunoichi, to being a high class ninja of another great village._ _He likes them all._ _But this is the side that he likes the most._ _Her loving motherly side._ _He sighs, enjoying this moment of her commenting on how messy his long sleeved dress shirt while fixing his collar._ _He looks up, finding her infused smell of sweet batter and the clear blue sky to be so lightening._ _Only when he heard the pit pattering of footsteps and laughing of grade school kids did he realize where they were:_ _Outside._

"_Mom…" _ _He whines, interrupting her from fixing any more of his uniform._

"_Just let me fix your necktie…" She reasons._ _He lets out an irritated groan, but complies with her wish._

_After another round of looks by a growing good number of audiences, she is able to get her hands off of him._

"_I'm leaving." _ _He announces, not forgetting to give a menacing glower on the men that have settled on the opposite side of their gates._ _One of them gave an indignant hoot to Sakura, who does care that these perverts are checking her out._

"_Oh no, you don't…"_ _She walks up to him, closer now, giving him an adorable pout._ "_Where's my goodbye kiss?"_

'_**Kiss?'**_ _He looks at the people back and forth from side to side, gaping and waiting for his reaction._

"_Mom… Not now."_ _He tells her in a strained voice, not willing to make this scene any more epic as it already is._

_She didn't care._ _Sakura taps her cheek lightly with her finger, not retreating from her simple demand._ "_I want my kiss, kiddo." She tells him playfully._

_He scratches his head, trying to find a reason to get out of this situation but is unable to find one._ _He sighs._ "_Fine." _ _He reluctantly agrees._ _Without giving it a second thought, he gives her a peck on the cheek, much to the coaxing of the people on the background._

_It is a usual kiss, nothing special to many._ _To all the kisses that he gave her every morning._ _But somehow this kiss is different from yesterday._ _It is sweeter._ _It is happier._ _It is more than a tradition._ _A kiss of introduction, to something really new._ _His eyes are large until he meets her face, a face that doesn't experience the same reactions as he does._ _He ignores the odd dormant growing thoughts, shrugging it off like it is hopefully nothing but nerves._ _Anxious to get out of this awkward mother and son situation with people all around to watch them._ _But is it truly a mother and son moment?_

"_Get out of here!" _ _Gaara threatens to whip them up with a handful of sand, driving them away from the scene._

"_Honey!"_ _Sakura pulls him back from making a massacre, holding on to his arm._ "_Dear, you promised that you wouldn't use your sand to harm people."_ _She makes him recall their conversation only minutes ago, where he just nodded on everything she said just for her satisfaction._

_He groans, finding it rather hard to threaten people without the use of his sand._ "_Yeah, I did."_ _Sometimes, when he gets annoyed enough, he would lose his respectful way of speaking completely._ _But he listens anyway._

"_Good."_ _She simply compliments, before giving him a light kiss on the head._ _Gaara pats the patch of hair that is graced by her lips, looking a little disappointed that she didn't kiss his face instead._

"_That's my boy…"_ _She in turn gives him a scuffle on his hair._

**Reality:**

"Boy… Hey, Boy." A man with a makeshift eye patch calls out to him passively. Everyone stares with terror as Kakashi pats him on the head as a stale warning. Oddly enough, the red head is not awakened from his trance like demeanour. "Mr. Sabaku no…" The silver haired sensei is sort of losing his last ounce of consideration. Instead of flinching from some stranger's touch, the boy actually seems to be enjoying the momentary interaction.

"Sabaku…" He is about to continue on his attempt of waking the red head, but he notices a grin playing on the boy's face.

Although it is pretty awkward to find him patting the kid on the head like a pup, and the kid reacting in such a way that would deem inappropriate. Nobody could deny the fact that they find his face rather charming and too adorable to retaliate. Kakashi thinks otherwise. He passively hits his student with a ruler on the back of his head. Ruining the teen's daydreaming yet again, and diffusing the hype of the young teenage girls who ogle at what was once his pristine face. The boy grimaces while ruffling the back of his head, irritated he is being treated in such a way when he didn't even do anything to deserve it.

"Oi, Kakashi. Leave that idiot alone… he must be having some sort'a wet dream." Kishimoto says with an amused grin. Everyone except Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon nervously laughs. _**'Does Kai 'stupid idiot' Kishimoto want to die early?'**_The future second in line to the Hokage name thought, looking at the two who are now ready to kill each other.

After that incident back in the park a few days ago, when Sakura has to stand up for him when he is down. The boy refuses to be scrutinized in public. Especially when it comes to his mother's reputation. He knows full well that Sakura has brought him up to be a gentleman, but he isn't born a pansy either. He's gonna have to deal with this Kai character sometime later. He just knows it.

"Knock it off, Kai." Konohamaru warns. The large juvenile delinquent squints his eyes at the Hokage heir, finding his words rather ridiculous.

"If you don't want yer ass to be kicked with my foot, Sarutobi, I'd rather you put a sock in yer mouth." Kai threatens.

Konohamaru rolls his eyes in irritation, deciding not to give a retort at the boy's statement and instead giving showing Kishimoto his middle finger.

Gaara looks at the dark brown haired guy sitting near him with a curious thought, finding his action of raising one finger at the guy rather puzzling. He has seen such an act dozens before, but never does quite get the meaning. His Uncle Kankuro has been showing his finger at the old men of their village before, and even Naruto had his probing on Old lady Tsunade yesterday. Oddly, they are doing it in such a way that the opposite side would not quite catch the gesture, but they did find it rather amusing all on their own. Yet another activity he has categorized as Konoha influenced behaviour.

Everything about this village intrigues him; everything is not only green but rather drop dead questionable action. Thinking that no one would be looking, he tries this rather new way of greeting on his own. Only to be witnessed by a white haired sensei who is still standing right in front of him.

"Boy, what do you think you are doing, showing that finger in front of me?" Kakashi asks him with suffocating silence.

With a gaping mouth, Konohamaru meekly brings his own finger down at the bully who reacts by stifling his laughter. Moegi gasps, looking at the red head who still kept his finger up for everyone to see. Udon covers his face, finding all this mix of tension and attention, too overwhelming to stand upright for. Gaara however, absentmindedly raised his brow with his finger up, making it even more provoking to the teacher. Kakashi sighs. "Alright, Detention for you Mr. Gaara." The sensei sentences the red head.

The boy looks at him in the same way he nonchalantly told me of my bizarre punishment. "What is...detention?" He thought out loud, for everyone to hear.

"You can't be serious? Seriously? What a dunce…" Kai now laughs hysterically, finding it too hilarious to stifle any longer.

"Shut it Kai." Konohamaru tells him off, making the large teen glare at him murderously.

"You shut it, you freakin son of a-" Before Kai is about to finish, he is hit right on the forehead with a piece of chalk. Much to the growing entertainment for the class, he falls back from his chair, causing the controlled applause to be let out in loud unconscious taunting. Kishimoto immediately jumps out of his predicament, pulling his chair to sit on it, his face turning in to a beet red colour.

"I've had enough of you as well Kai, you stay with Gaara in detention as well." The Copy cat ninja dictates. "You and your cronies will be accompanying him at the end of class. That way, you'll clean up the pile of litter that you have inflicted." Kakashi picks up a banana peel next to the gang, and throws it on one of the heads of Kishimoto's followers.

"WHAT?" Kai shouts in contempt, finding his judgment to be unfair, he glares at the Kazekage with hate. But then his frown is quickly turning into a mischievous grin. Alone with the new meat seems to be a fine idea.

"You never had detention before, Gaara-kun?" Konohamaru asks in a hushed voice, trying not to look too obvious.

The Kazekage merely shrugs, finding this topic to be time wasting. That is what detention is, he concluded, it is time wasting.

"Detention for you too, Sarutobi." Kakashi informs, scuffling the boy's head. "What? Why?" Konohamaru whines, finding the sensei's decision to be too rash. "Well, aren't you supposed to be touring Mr. Sabaku No around the school?" The silver haired guy points out.

"Yes." The dark brown haired boy admits.

"Well, since he will be spending the rest of his afternoon in detention, aren't you supposed to accompany him?" Kakashi seems to be adding the oddest people on the list of chaos for the day. Konohamaru merely groans in complete denial and sighs in acceptance.

'_**Seriously?!'**_ Sarutobi thought.

Gaara raises his hand. Kakashi and the rest have brought their attention to him, who is oddly raising his hand for a question.

"Yes, Gaara-kun?" The silver haired sensei happily acknowledges him, finding this boy's particular action to be quite an eye opener. His one eye though, is joyfully conjured into a slit of profuse bliss.

"With all due respect Sir, I don't think I can go to detention this afternoon." The red head states. Now everyone is suffering from refraining their gags of enthusiasm.

"Well kid, you don't really have a choice. You have to." The sensei explains, scratching his head with his ruler. The red head gives him a puzzled look, finding this time to be ideal in questioning Hatake's authority.

"I don't think you have a right to order me around." Gaara tells him off, while folding his hands. Now it is Sarutobi's turn to hit his head out of utter disbelief on his own desk.

The new kid might be some official's son in his fellow students' eyes… but they all had the same thought. **What a moron.** Obviously Gaara now has issues on anything that is possibly above him.

'**What a typical teenager.'** Kakashi sighs, feeling the empathetic aura of the class to be revealing, telling him to spare the fool. "Actually, I do. I am your teacher." Kakashi simply states, his happy eye still closed from malice, now scratching his temple with his finger. Gaara does not back down in his given air of unforeseen superiority, although his teacher knew well enough not to play with fire.

He keeps his glaring eyes at the tall teacher, his height not weighing in their almost at par level. "Then you have to deal with my mother when I get home. My mum told me not to be late after school." He tells it in a manner considering the teachers right, but does not shield himself at the thought of such an embarrassing excuse.

Hatake opens his lazy eye that now twinkles with but surprise and interest. Kai Kishimoto is also having a blast, a blast to ridicule this new student for eternity. Konohamaru cannot believe his ears, he has never thought he would see the day when the Kazekage would consider mother's will far important than his own.

Whoever thought that such an intimidating individual can be such a mama's boy?

"HAHAHA! This idiot sand sniffer is a MAMA's BOY!" Kishimoto taunts him out loud, bellowing in a loud voice that could even be heard at the other class. Gaara however, politely makes his way out of his seat, to the end of the classroom. He has the bully's neck on his grasp in less than a second, way before the rest of the dictator's blink their eyes. He lifts the boy that is at inches taller and pounds heavier than him out of his chair, banging Kai's back on the wall.

"Oi, Gaara!" Konohamaru is about to stop his new seat mate from choking the poor kid any further, but stops from getting out of his chair when he sees Kakashi pass.

"Yeah. I am my mother's son. What of it?" The Kazekage proclaims with every proud fiber of his being, ready to fight for it if he needed to. He doesn't expect Kishimoto to answer his threat, letting the gang leader gag and cough for air.

"Enough, Mr. Gaara. Put your fellow classmate down. Now." Kakashi tells him in a calm yet warning tone, not willing to be a part of an unnecessary thrashing.

Gaara grudgingly drops Kai to the floor, letting him finally breathe. Seeing as their Sensei is on the way, the followers of the class thug could not retaliate. They give him threatening looks, with a hint of hesitance and fear. He looks back at them blankly, his fist of rage calmed to a halt instantly. He goes back to his seat, accompanied by Hatake, dropping himself on his chair with a thud and then going back to his drawn limbs pose.

"Don't worry; I'll make sure your mom knows that you'll be staying here for a few hours longer. She'll comply without problem." Kakashi reassures him never failing to ruffle the boy's red thick hair. "By the way, is this your real hair? This better not be dye…" He points out, plucking a strand on his students head. Gaara's eye twitched, his scalp momentarily stung by his teacher's tug. He swipes his teacher's hand that is about to pull yet another strand of hair. His teacher settles for the one red string that glimmers a bright ruby red against the rays of the sun.

"What makes you think that you are in any way higher than my mom?" The red head does have issues, he admits to that, but he truly does not find anyone to be higher than Sakura; Unless she's the boss who gets her fired on a job that is. He might actually get one hell of a beating if he did.

"I wouldn't say that…" His teacher starts. Kakashi drops the feathery strand to his table and then rests both hands on the sides of the student's desk. "But I do have the upper hand… You see…" He leans closer to him, until they are looking at each other face to face. Gaara does not flinch, keeping his eyes straight.

"I am your grandfather." Kakashi tells this haunting detail with his one eye bulging from his socket.

Everyone is stunned. Except for Gaara that is. Konohamaru wonders why Kakashi would tell such a lie, but awaits the Kazekage's reaction instead. The whole class is looking at the new kid for confirmation.

Gaara didn't so much as flinch at the idea. "I don't believe you." He says with upmost sincerity. This teacher might have some sort'a white hair… but he just doesn't see similarities. _**'I won't be fooled the second time around.'**_He thought, recalling the other day when he mistook an elderly looking woman for family._**'My mother is way too pretty to be in any way related to him.'**_

At a distance, a certain pink haired kunoichi sneezes loudly and then excuses herself from doing so.

"Oooh, looks like someone's thinking of you~" Ino teases, elbowing her on the ribs.

"Hardly." Sakura defends herself, hitting her as well with a hip.

"Well, you never know." A petite woman with raven hair adds to her fellow konoha nin colleague's teasing suggestion.

"He must be someone verrry special." Temari describes, looking directly at the institution before them, thinking that whoever he was would be in there.

They walk on in a fit of giggles, casually walking pass the entrance of the academy.

Gaara is truly one hell of a delinquent, to be visited by such one very beautiful mom and her group of supermodels.

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**Gaara's Current Age:** **14 Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment: ** **Four Months and two days**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Immotoo/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	15. His first Crush

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His First Crush"**

**(Life as a Student - Part Two)**

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**Gaara's Current Age:** **14 Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **Four Months and two days**

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_**Flashback:**_ _**Two and a half months ago**_

"_Mommy.."_ _The boy sniffles, rubbing his eyes while holding on to a treasured stuffed animal._

_A young woman stirs from her own bed, awakened by his soft cry._ "_What's wrong honey?"_ _She unfolds her covers, revealing a white night gown that glows under the moonlight._ _The girl with pink hair dips her feet on the creaky wooden floor, making her way to the child with ease._

"_I can't sleep.."_ _His lips start to tremble; frustrated at himself, he hugs his teddy bear like it would disappear._

_The kunoichi picks him up before he sheds a tear, patting him in the back while swaying back and forth._ "_Aww, there, there…"_ _She combs through his little tufts of hair softly, sitting both of them on the bedside._

"_I tried to sleep on my own room mom… I really did… but… but…" He does not continue with his explanation, clearly too upset to finish._ _She smiles, knowing that he really did try._

"_It's alright dear; you don't have to do it every day. You'll get used to it." _ _She assures him, before humming a soothing song, a familiar tune that even made the trees outside shift in response._

"_Mum, can I sleep with you tonight?"_ _He clings on her neck, his chin resting on her shoulder._

"_Of course you can…"_ _She gets up and moves to the side of the bed while carrying the boy._ _Singing as the long pink haired woman tucks him to bed, making sure he is comfortable before taking her own side._ _She kisses the boy's forehead and was about to close her eyes when she hears shuffling of movement._

"_Mom?"_ _The boy calls out, half afraid and half satisfied, he pulls on her exposed sleeve._

"_Yes, Gaara-bear?" She replies._

"_Can you tell me the story?"_ _He comes closer, letting his mother rest her chin on the top of his small head._

"_Which story, hon?" The pink haired kunoichi asks patiently._

"_The story about the prince and the moon."_ _The red head looks at her expectantly, hoping that he heard him._

"_Okay, but just once alright?"_ _She tells him, not wanting him to stay up too late._ _He nods eagerly, his eyes wide and awake._

Once upon a time, there was a young prince, who was so handsome that he had to banish himself from his kingdom who loved him dearly. Women and men alike were so zealous towards him, that they would kill one another from their own selfishness to needlessly please him. Finding such consequences rather troublesome and destructive, he decided to spend the rest of his life in solitude, away from his people. As a shepherd living modestly by tending sheep, he was happy and contented. He spent his time caring such fluffy creatures, while spending the rest of his day lying on the grass under the most vibrant life form of serendipity. A large ancient shade of which implores the vibrancy of love that dares not to touch his skin, but to tend for it.

A token of affection by the moon goddess, Serendipity...the scarlet tree of Selene.

_And before she could even get to the half of the story, they end up fast asleep._ _Holding on to each other like the night would never end._ _The brilliance of the outside glazed at their skin,_ _showing the rare side of pure timeless bliss._ _Of which they hope that they shall keep._ _Forever in each other's arms._

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**KONOHA: Monday****/****Konoha Ninja Academy**/**Private Institution**/**Freshmen Building**/**Rooftop Veranda**/**12:00 PM**

He wonders why he feels so nostalgic of the story that she told him long ago. Not exactly been some time, but it has been a while since he heard that story, that treasure piece of his childhood. Yes, he misses it so. And he pines for remembering it profusely. It is like a puzzle that he couldn't quite answer. He never did understand the sweet but truly sad ending of the tale, wishing there was a different ending. A conclusion that would keep the lovers together. He rests his chin on his fist, his elbow on the metal arm rest of a ledge. Gaara ponders on the story silently, letting the breeze comb his rustic hair.

His eyes focus on the far horizon, contemplating deeply and with intent. He just couldn't understand the ending, and he wants to know why. What is so disturbing about this story that kept him so interested about it? He sighs, wishing he knew. The young Kazekage keeps his gaze straight, ignoring the two young men behind him.

"I couldn't believe it the first time I saw him…" Udon, the boy with blue hair, entails to his friend.

"I know right?" Konohamaru agrees, scratching his dark brown hair with meekness. Having to explain the details finally sorted to him by Naruto via falcon, Saying such an important explanation makes him feel rather too important. "I do see the similarities…" The would-be Hokage projects, angling his eye to see their new classmate in a different perception.

"He looks exactly like him." The boy wearing glasses offers, adjusting his school tie that is previously loose.

"He looks a lot better though." Konohamaru points out, finding some features of the redhead to be truly different.

"What do you mean?" Udon asks, finding his friends observation to be physically undetectable.

"Well… I can't really say…" The former hokage's grandson brings his thumb and index finger below his chin.

"He looks… He looks like…" The boy's eye becomes smaller than the other, trying to focus on whatever caught his attention.

"He's in love?" The blue haired teen says with enthusiasm, thinking that he has got the description right.

"Ew gross! Not that!" Konohamaru instantly denies, looking like he is about to vomit by just hearing such words being uttered to him. He doesn't understand why his friend would bring an odd assumption like that, but he has a feeling he knows why. Sarutobi continues watching of their new classmate, after giving the spectacled boy a raised brow. He witnesses the kazekage's current state seriously, both with concern and awe. Gaara goes on with his distant gaze, the blue sky clearly reflected on his eyes that look like they are lucid as water.

The wind grows colder sending a shiver in his spine, but the young man standing in front of them do not even waver. If not given a second glance, he could have sworn that this kid is not actually a kid at all. He looks more like an adult who has his whole future ahead of him, like an adventure is waiting to happen any second. "More like…" The young man uses his hand to comb through his own hair that darted from the current of air and thus showing his face clearer. Konohamaru grins, now knowing the right word to describe the red head's current disposition. "He's alive."

Gaara's resolute and confident gate reminds him of his big brother Naruto who gazes at the world like nothing could stand on his way. "But then again… you do have a point." Sarutobi's smirk is reduced, having realized yet another characteristic that he himself is yet to endeavour upon. Being in love with someone is probably not the word that would describe this young man before him. Konohamaru despises such a feeling of falling head over heels over a girl, thinking it would just pull him down. And sadly, it looks like Uzumaki is in such a state, making his idol more like a charmer than the ruffian.

"He does look a little…" The brown haired boy didn't like that, holding on to his goggles of youth firmly. Girls are still cooties to him, soft fragile creatures that would tire and only give heart ache. Well, that is what big bro Shikamaru describes them, and from that he agrees with the hermit of a shinobi. From the way that Gaara looks tied down and yet able to conquer the universe.

Konohmaru could tell that there is a woman involved in his life.

"Smitten?" Udon quietly describes, hoping he got it right.

"Hmm…" Sarutobi ponders on the word recommended by his friend, that sort describes the redhead's condition. "I don't think so…" No, that's not it. Smitten is a word that describes blindness infatuation over the person. "More like he has a…" He has the word on the tip of his tongue. His eyes widen. "Crush?"

The boys look at each other's flustered face, their cheeks burning red. Konohamaru coughs out this awkward situation while Udon scratches his head and briefly looks away.

"Nah…" Both of them decide, pretending to shiver so as to show their definite denial.

Sarutobi however could not help but wonder why Gaara and other guys he knows are shifting in such unreasonable movements. They are in an entirely different level from him, and he couldn't help but feel left out or envious**. All because of girls.** How can they get so flustered over such highly emotional women? He shrugs his momentarily reflective state and decides to disturb the new kid before they spend their entire break time at a trance. "So Gaara, what did you get for lunch?" He decides to ask.

The Kazekage turns his head from the scenery ahead of them, having done enough recalling for the day. "Lunch?" Gaara repeats.

"Yeah. You do have one right?" Sarutobi questions.

Gaara didn't even think about it since he has got to this wretched establishment. _**'**__**He must be talking about this heavy box thing that I have been dragging around for hours.'**_ He looks at his pack beside him like it is never his, and aimlessly starts to look for the bento that Sakura gave him. Looking at his bento, having opened the lacquer cover slowly and carefully like it is some sort of bomb. He loses his composure. He could not believe his eyes Staring at it like it is the most ridiculous thing that he has ever seen in his life. A hint of pink red shows on his cheeks, while one eye twitch uncontrollably.

"What? What's wrong?" Both of his colleagues go over his side and peer on the bento like an animal would be inside. Their interested eyes become realization and embarrassment.

"Oh um…" Udon looks away, as if the lunch reminded him of something.

"Haha… what a… er… colorful bento you got there…" Konohamaru looks at it more intently, appreciating the detail of the handmade lunch.

"Yep… its… original…" Sarutobi adds.

The bento has mini sized onigiri, rice wrapped in seaweed, to be picked up by a set of metal chopsticks. There is meat that is carved and formed into animals, fruit and vegetables that are formed into flowers. A single dessert stood out from all the rest, a pink mochi rice cake that is assumedly stuffed with strawberry jelly. It is not done in any way that is childish like most handmade lunches, using hotdogs to shape an octopus or a crab…And then putting the word 'love' in red ketchup letters on plain rice. It is more mature than that, but with care and design.

It is made in such a way that only someone with experience would know. Or a woman who is not a girl, as they put it at their age.

"Well, I gotta go somewhere… I'll meet you guys back at the classroom." The boy with glasses informs them, as if seeing the bento reminded him of his task; already, he is walking out of the scene.

"Sure, no problem." Konohamaru waves at Udon, telling him it's alright to go ahead. The blue haired young man waves as well, and then at Gaara who is still looking taken aback at what he is supposed to eat.

"Laters, Gaara-kun." The boy with glasses tells the red head with a friendly hand gesture. The kazekage nods and resumes to gazing at his meal.

"Hey new kid, come check this out for a bit." Sarutobi coaxes his new ally to follow him at his direction.

He does as he is told, leaving the bento on the table in front of him. Gaara perches from the bench that he is in to peer from the ledge beside them. From the height that they are in, he can safely see a certain couple without being caught. The red head could see Udon who is with them just moments ago, with Moegi who is holding a packed lunch. The orange haired girl is blushing as she opens what looked like a bento personalized by her…And then she offers to feed the blue haired guy with her chopsticks.

The guy with glasses looks at her without a hint of dislike, enchanted by her. He however looks around before accepting the sushi offered. Moegi waits in anticipation of his reaction to her cooking. With a shy smile and a curt nod, Udon tells her it is delicious. She breaks the tension by clapping her hands giddily and then plants a kiss on the boy's cheek. Stunned, Udon starts to blush furiously, and then passes out; his body now jerking on the ground. The girl with ginger hair goes to his side, shouting worry and anxiousness, and then calls for help.

"Is he going to be okay?" Gaara asks the boy who noisily eats his lunch in front of him, not paying attention to his two close friends below.

"He'll be fine. He just has a crush, is all." Konohamaru explains seemingly in irritation of knowing full well of what is going on with his friend. Gaara stares at him for a moment.

"What is… a crush?" The Kazekage asks with genuine ignorance, not educated of such an act.

The Hokage's grandson almost drops his chopsticks. "Seriously? You don't know what a crush is?" And then the palm of his hand rests on his forehead. "Oh yeah… Naruto-nii-san told me that something is wrong with your head… like some sort of amnesia or something." The boy takes a swig of his juice before resuming their conversation. "A crush is like some sort of disease." Sarutobi explains.

"Disease?" The red head repeats. "Yeah, a disease." Sarutobi tells him like a wise old man, nodding to his own statement.

"How… is it a sickness?" Gaara questions, wondering why it is described as such.

"Well, you see men used to be cool, awesome, strong men; but when they started to act weirdly, it's because they like a girl." He eats a piece of octopus tentacle, slurping it similar to a noodle. "And when I mean like, I mean 'like like' a girl." He says while twitching his fingers a quote. "When guys like us 'like like' a girl, they go through weird and puzzling symptoms." Konohamaru defines.

"Symptoms?" The kazekage asks for further explanation.

"Yep. We call it the five steps to knowing that you are infected." Konohamaru slurps some urchin from his bento, eating the brains of the sea dwelling creature.

"Step One: Zombie. You will be looking around as if you're searching for something, staring far away or watching at a particular object for hours." Sarutobi mentions with a quiver in his voice. Gaara doesn't see how this is a symptom, seeing as he has been doing that a lot lately. But he feels just fine. Apparently. "Step Two: Demon. You will be confused and completely unpredictable. You don't know what to do with your feelings, to the point that you would hurt the girl by:" He brings his hands to point out his words one by one.

"First, name-calling her. Second, embarrassing her in public. Third, scolding at her for talking to guys other than you. And Fourth, physically pulling her around." The dark brown haired boy continues. "Pulling her around… what do you mean by that?" Gaara questions. "You would grab her for no apparent reason, thinking that she is in some sort of danger or something." Konohamaru tells his classmate, folding his arms. "But I think it's more like you're insecure so you'd rather be alone with her than with other people." Sarutobi projects, nodding at his own speculation.

'_**Well that's weird.' **_Gaara finds it truly odd; to be so faithless over your own self towards females is quite inexcusable. "Why would a guy do those things…?" The kazekage points out.

"I know right? It's ridiculous!" Sarutobi brings his hands up to show his exasperation. "Step Three: Werewolf. You would do crazy stunts just so she could notice you and think that you're some cool guy." Konohamaru lectures.

"Like what?" The red head asks, pertaining to the stunts that such an infested creature would do to a woman.

"You would follow her around and try to help her like lifting stuff and asking for help in homework and stuff." The brown haired boy shakes his head as he recalls an instance when his friend completely lost it. "Something like playing basketball and then you didn't pass the ball because she was watching you!" Konohamaru mentions grudgingly, annoyed at what he is recalling.

"Um…" Gaara tries to intervene.

"I was right there dammit! I said pass the ball but he didn't! And we lost the game because of some girl! ARRGH!" Standing to prove his point, he sits back down to resume his lesson with the kazekage. "Step Four: Ghost. It's like you're not even around anymore. You are completely different from the group. A stranger." Konohamaru sighs, looking down to see his two friends who are now awkwardly holding hands. "It's like you don't know what they are thinking… like they changed without you. How frustrating." He finishes by chomping the last of his sushi and then picks his teeth with a toothpick.

"Like you feel… left out?" Gaara notions, looking at the boy and at the couple who are far apart from where he is.

"Yeah… like you don't fit in that puzzle." And then Sarutobi realizes that he might be talking about himself. "N-not like actually am feeling that way! Not at all! Are you kidding me?" He punches the red head as a way of joking around, laughing as he does. The Kazekage thinks that he might be trying to attack him or insult him somehow, but he didn't sense a threat.

Maybe it's the type of kidding around that he and his brother do sometimes. So he let it slide.

"And then the last stage of no return… Step Five: Vampire." Konohamaru finally states, close to the conclusion of the five steps.

"I have a question." Gaara interrupts the boy, raising his hand. "What?" Sarutobi replies. "Why do all of these steps involve monsters?" The Kazekage continues.

"Because when you become one of them, you are a monster." The grandson of the former Hokage explains.

"Oh." Gaara merely reacts, finding the notion to be ridiculous but somewhat fitting. It does make sense for someone of such a calibre to lose his self, and therefore be a monster. The description of him being such an atrocious creature is different from what Konohamaru is describes. It is rather endearing to know that there are different types of monsters in this world. He wonders what kind he could be.

"So, what's this Vampire step about?" The red head then curiously questions.

"I don't know." Sarutobi tells him, clearly unaware of what he should tell the young man about the subject.

The red head frowns, disappointed that this boy who is assumingly wealthy of knowledge, would not know of this one detail. "I really don't. Honest." The boy replies while he raises his hand for him to see, swearing to the idea of ignorance. "It's more of a legend around these parts. Because nobody really talks about it. All I know is that it is the most disgusting thing a boy would do." He finishes his juice with a gulp and a sigh. "It's so horrible that whoever thus reaches that level would never mention it to anyone." Konohamaru tells him with confidence.

"Wow." Gaara expresses, in awe of such a legendary level.

"Yup. It's that scary. You'll just have to find it out yourself." Sarutobi brings his arm to rest at Gaara's shoulder. "But that won't happen in a long looong time, right, buddy?" Konohamaru asks him with a big grin.

"Uh… sure…" The kazekage agrees. Sarutobi finishes their conversation by giving the guy big painful pats on the back.

"That's right. You're still one of us. Now eat your lunch." Sarutobi tells his new friend. The boys look at the untouched bento of the Kazekage, surprised that he did not even touch a single piece of it.

"Well, well, what do we have here? A small gay fest or something?" A deep gruff voice came out from the entrance of the roof top. The two heirs look from their behind, half a thought of senselessly beating the person who dared ridicule them. Kai Kishimoto steps out of the shadows, followed by his clique that now bares their teeth. The huge bully flicks his finished cigar at their feet, wanting to make them even more insulted.

"Man, this is a public area. None of this is in any way your territory. We're not breaking any of your made-up rules. So back off." The brown haired guy adjusts his goggles without flinching, not intimidated by their presence.

"We're not here to talk about property, Sarutobi." The six foot beast walks towards them, throwing benches and tables that dare block his way. "I'm here to pick a fight with your new friend." Without a warning, Kai takes Gaara by the collar and lifts him out of the ground. The red head remains calm much to the clamouring of Sarutobi, swearing at the thug. The kazekage allows this one mere contact.

"I don't know what stunt you were trying to pull back there in Hatake's class, but you can't fool me." He then purposely drops the young man, making him fall to the floor. "You think you could make a name of yourself just because you're some official's son of another village?" He scoffs. "Yeah right." His minions start to laugh, forcefully on cue, thinking that they have the upper hand. "You've got nothing on your name. New meat." He hovers before the Kazekage, not really knowing who exactly is he dealing with. "Now fight me, and I'll kill your spineless excuse of confidence."

And then what is once a lifeless looking face enlightens from the feeling of familiarity. He stops breathing. His heart skips a beat. **She's here.**

"What the hell is going on?" A controlled dominant voice of a woman interrupts the scene. It is like the sound of a waterfall that is so loud that it would cancel out any sound that would be near it; more rendering than thunder that would cause him to be in a cold sweat. They all look at the entrance that is covered by a group who quite the impressive legs on them. Still on the ground with Kishimoto and his gang ready to pounce at him, he looks at her with anxiousness.

"Sakura-nee-san?" Kishimoto immediately gets out of the suspicious pose that he is in, telling his group to back away a bit.

Does this thug know his mother? How does he know her name? That doesn't matter. What really bothers him is the fact that she's here. Here where a lot of boy students are prowling around. A place where there are such things as 'crushes' that he has yet to understand. "Mom?" Gaara says with a rather loud and cracked voice, completely surprised that she's here.

"Mom?" Kai is looking at the boy that he is about to bully like he just said the strangest thing that he has ever heard.

"Mom…" Konohamaru however nods slowly with his arms folded, looking like he is the only one who is actually getting the idea.

"He's my son." The pink haired young woman recognizes her own boy who is sprawled on the floor. "Son…" Gaara feels a bit embarrassed and comforted from hearing her say that.

"Son?" Kai is looking more shocked than ever.

"Son…" Konohamaru nods some more, fitting the pieces of the puzzle together.

"So this is Gaara-bear!" Ino came from behind Sakura, looking as stunning as ever.

"Gaara-bear?" Kai looks like he is about to puke.

"Gaara-pffft-bear?" Konohamaru tries to stifle his laughter.

"Alright, this is just too confusing!" Kishimoto gives up his previous goal, too bewildered to know what exactly he is supposed to do in this situation. "I'll come back at a better time, when none of you will give me a head ache from thinking too hard." Kai decides, signalling his troupe to follow him out of the scene. He stops to recognize Sakura more properly, bowing his head at the kunoichi. "Nice to see you again, Nee-san." The thug tells the girl with sincerity, clearly aware of alumni's reputation. "Ladies…" He acknowledges the women with a curt nod.

His group tries to hide their hideous looking piercings, removing their intimidating hoods and caps from their heads as they confront them. Ino Yamanaka, Hinata Hyuuga, and Temari no Sabaku waves at them playfully so as to purposely make them conscious. The long haired ponytailed blonde even blows a kiss to one of them, making the unsuspecting teen pass out from happiness.

"You, too, Kai." Sakura sceptically waves goodbye at the young gang leader, hoping they didn't cause too much trouble this year. As soon as the bothersome mafia gets out of the way, the pink haired woman instantly goes to the side of the flustered looking kazekage. "Dear, what happened to you?" She asks with worry in her voice.

Gaara definitely doesn't want her to worry. He is about to speak for himself when Konohamaru decides to intervene: "He's alright Nee-san, he just tripped. No problem."

The pink haired kunoichi looks at the Hokage's grandson questionably, but shrugs it off and continues to tend to her son. "He's right, Mom, I'm okay." The red head insists, standing up and then pretending he does not see how the boys looked at her whimsically. "More importantly, how did you know that bunch of dimwits?" He asks. "I worked as a school nurse here. Don't call them dimwits honey; it is a bad way to describe people." Sakura instructs. "Whatever." His son exclaims, already losing his interest at the men who were here seconds ago.

"Looks like your adorable son inherited your attitude, Sakura-chan~" Temari teasingly ruffles the boy's hair before making herself comfortable on the bench that is opposite of Konohamaru's. "Well if he did, a son of mine would treat people with more respect." Sakura gives him an authoritative look, obviously not letting this one go. But something catches her eye. Behind the boy that he is currently facing is the bento that she made that is still untouched. "Honey! You haven't eaten your lunch yet?" She takes the red head by the arm and proceeded to dragging him to the table.

"Oh… uh… yeah…" Gaara sits on the bench that is opposite of Sakura, looking away as his mother bickers about the importance of eating. He really doesn't not have the appetite to eat, and especially now that she has come here. There are just too many people to protect her from so he is taking this time to strategize how to keep her away from the ones who ogle at her.

Konohamaru, having finished his lunch and had nothing else to do, decides to waste a few minutes by observing the mother and son. Particularly at Gaara, who looked like he is not paying much attention at the situation, choosing to look out at the scenery beside them. It is sort of like the gaze that he is doing just a while ago, but now it seems more troubled and unsated. Sarutobi sighs. At a loss. Finding out that his assumptions of the Kazekage is true. "Step One." He murmurs to himself, sympathizing for his zombie of a friend. The undead are truly a sickening sight.

But if there is one thing that would lighten his own saddened mood, it would be hanging around with a couple of hot women.

"Kyaa~ Gaara is so cute!" A long blond haired beauty shrieks, bringing her hands together in awe.

**Ino Yamanaka.** A platinum blonde with sky blue colored pupils, she is a Chūnin who majors as a Med-nin. Wearing a sleeveless blue designer top and a white ruffle mini skirt with three inch strapped heels, she insist that she wears comfortable clothing. Currently she is working at the Konoha General Hospital but is also working part time in her family's flower shop. Both a florist and a botanist, she is looking into expanding the Yamanaka Clan's business by putting up possible outlets outside of the village. She is at present, going out with someone who finds her just as irritating but irresistible.

Sometimes they fight about the craziest things, but they'd make up as soon as they realize how crazy they are for each other.

"I must agree. You brought up a dashing son, Sakura-san" The woman with straight bangs and eyes that gleam like silver clouds compliments her friend, bowing slightly in a formal approach.

**Hinata Hyūga.** The successor of the Hyūga clan is a woman with dark blue hair, fair white skin and pale eyes that have a tinge of lavender. Without her consent, her friends forcefully put her on a pretty one piece white dress, making her pale features glow and stand out. Wanting to make a name for herself than to consistently be on her family's shadow, she decides to take up some painting and sculpting. Her works are recently displayed in many of the exhibitions that are done around the village, featuring images of Konoha's landmarks.

She has been going on a few dates with Naruto, their relationship getting stronger and less overwhelming for her each day. She blushes every time he holds her hand, but he likes that cute side of her.

"Say Aaah…" Sakura brings a stuffed onigiri in front of Gaara, making him stutter in response.

"M-mom, not here…" He tries to hide his embarrassed face, but he couldn't. Then again, maybe he isn't actually being humiliated, maybe he just doesn't want any more of the attention that might occur. Drawing more and more people to look at how wonderful his mom really is.

"Come on honey, it's just us here! Don't be shy!" She tries to feed him again, but then Ino refrains her; casually taking the chop sticks.

"Give it here Sakura, maybe the boy grew tired of you who always fed him…" The blonde takes a piece of carved meat out of the lacquer and smirks as she stuffs the boy's mouth without warning. Some of the sauce starts to spill from his lips; noticing this, Yamanaka takes a napkin and wipes it off. "Let your sexy auntie do that for you.." After cleaning him up, she immediately makes his mouth full with another onigiri. Gaara starts coughing, having trouble breathing with food lodged on his throat.

"Ino, you're choking him!" Hinata pats the boy's back gently and gives him a cup of water that he drinks to relieve himself.

"Now now, clearly he wants his big sister to feed him…" Temari takes the chopsticks from her fellow blonde's hands and then proceeds to feeding him in very big portions.

With a girl pulling on his hair, one patting his back quite painfully, another fixing his collar, and one trying to make him die from air deprivation, There is no wonder why he feels so currently suffocated. His teenage friend however, finds this sort of image to be a nose bleeding sight. "Alright, that's enough! I can feed myself!" Immediately the women stop, taken aback by his abrupt frustration. Thinking he can finally have a little peace, his brightened smile slowly turns into guilt as he notices his mother looking rather saddened. Sakura gives him watery googly eyes with an irresistible pout that would drive anyone crazy.

He grimaces before going back to his seat, closing his eyes tightly as he agrees to the would-be inflicted torture. "Fine…" He mutters.

They excitedly go back to his side, instantly out of their momentarily deflated impression; even closing in with Konohamaru, much to his friend's delight.

"Aaah~" The pink haired kunoichi happily repeats, bringing a more suitable piece for consumption in front of his mouth.

"Ahh…" He responds reluctantly, his eyes half-closed trying to avoid looking at his very pleased mother. He chews contentedly but with meekness, worrying about her yet again. Such a simple act as this would make her happy, eating her cooking and feeding him means everything to her. The pink confectionery that plays on his mouth reminds him a lot of Sakura, soft and easy to take in. Sometimes his mother would be strong and without weakness; but when it comes to her boy, she would show a fragile and soft side of her. He gulps, trying in vain to hide his appeased appetite.

"It tastes good right?" She waits for his reaction, anticipating it like it would completely make her day.

He slowly looks at her, rising his eyelids like he is about to stare directly at the sun. His mother is like the goddess in the story that she faithfully tells him, so potent yet compassionate. Gaara doesn't want to describe her that way; to make her seem like she has a flaw, like the moon in the tale that she speaks of. But her endless love and devotion, is the trait that he would never replace about her. No matter how unguarded Sakura is when it comes to his well-being, he doesn't care. Because that is what he feels for her as well. To be hopelessly attached to something, no matter how much they can hurt you.

He grins openly, forgetting the fact that there are people around them, that many would think that he is actually more open than they think. A smile that would be able to stop time for the whole world to see his true emotions. "It's good mom… it's light… and sweet…" He tells her, making the woman uncontrollably kiss him on his reddened cheek.

Light. And Sweet. Like the tree of Serendipity that covers him with a shade of a pink cloud. A piece of heaven that entrances him to no end.

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* * *

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KONOHA: Monday/Konoha Ninja Academy/**Exit Gate of the Academy**/**4:00 PM**

"It has been a long day hasn't it?" Konohamaru yawns, stretching his limbs. Gaara agrees by hastily tossing his bag to rest on his back, walking out of the school as fast as he could. He seems to be losing his talent of striding off, because his new friend is catching up to him quite easily.

"Udon and Moegi are going to stay longer, they have to work on some sorta project or something.." He playfully brings his arm to rest on his shoulder, letting his weight gently wobble the new kid's balance, enough to slow him down. "Right buddy-bud-bud?" Sarutobi chuckles as he notices the Kazekage's irritated and fatigued face. "Had a hard time keeping the guys away from them huh?"

The red head didn't bother to answer; too tired to even describe the blasted situation that he is in. It didn't take long for the whole school to know that four beautiful women are amidst the institution. Gaara almost spat his drink when he noticed the growing crowd below the veranda. As soon as he hears the shouting of the students, mostly consisting of guys, pointing on his mother and her group of friends… He grabs Sakura's arm and tugged her all the way out of there. But it is a slow process, because there are already spectators who got to the door of the roof.

With the help of his colleague, they are able to bring them out of their academy before anything gets any wilder. "All those heads that we stepped on…" Konohamaru cringes as he remembers the time they have to literally walk through the crowd just to get to safer place. "I hope they don't get concussions or something like that…" The boy worries as he now lazily walks with the transfer student.

"Hey kiddies!" A familiar voice calls out to them, coming their way. They look up at where they are headed to find three guys blocking their way.

"Naruto-nii-san… you're late." The brown haired boy looks at his big brother like the guy forgot to buy him some ice-cream.

"Why is the old stupid man here…?" Gaara comments, not in the mood to deal with the blonde man in front of him.

Accompanying the blue eyed jinchuuriki are Kankuro and Shikamaru who looked like they are on a debate about something. "You expect me to believe that using sand bricks are more efficient than clay?" Nara looks at the boy's brother like he says the most illiterate thing he has ever heard. "Yes! Far more better! Come on, those chunks of mud doesn't stand a chance in an invasion…" His purple inked brother pulls the red heads collar to come his way. "Show him kid, make a sand brick so we could end this once and for all!" The eldest brother of the sand siblings shakes him twice to get his attention.

Gaara blows his stray bang out of the way, not interested in forming such a request. "Your mom told us to come pick you up…" Uzumaki explains for the young man, patting the kazekage's head to purposely annoy the guy. "Other than that…" He continues, about to let out their devious plan for the night. "Today is public bath day!" The blonde young man proclaims.

'**Public bath day?'** The red head repeats mentally. What kind of weird Konoha custom are they trying to introduce to him now? Sounds more like a public execution to the boy, than a casual event with friends.

"Seriously Nii-san? Alright!" Konohamaru makes a fist and brings it down like they just scored a game. And they really, because the newbie is about to experience the most idiotic holiday known to man.

.

* * *

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KONOHA: Monday/**Hohzuki Public Bath House**/**Kanto District**/**5:00 PM**

"Your perverted past times are getting stupider and stupider you old bunch of geezers…" Gaara sits with folded arms, half submerged in steamy hot water, in the middle of a large square tub. It is more like a pool really, but without the possibilities of drowning from depth, a spa that is meant to be enjoyed.

Naruto and his big brother didn't bother to react to his comment, busily putting up a ladder on the tall wooden walls that would cover the women's side. "Oi oi! You're stepping on my head Uzumaki! Are you blind or something?" Kankuro questions the man's intelligence as he struggles to keep both of them balanced enough to get up the ladder. "Hey! No fair! Why do both of you get to check the ladies out while I stay down here to keep you from falling?" The brown haired teen complains, holding on the sides of the wooden poles that kept them in their envious situation.

"Bah, don't make such a big deal about it…" The blonde tries to have a better hold on the bamboo blockades, gripping them both with his hands. "And anyway, don't you hate girls? Why would you be interested in this?" Uzumaki started to grin, looking at the thick fog for whoever owns those unsuspecting gorgeous shrieking happy voices.

"Of course I hate girls… but women are a different matter…" Sarutobi cleverly reasons, making the poles shake just to get back at them for leaving him out. The two perverted men start to shout and scold their younger ally, asking him which side is he really on.

The Kazekage sighs for what seems to be one of many times today. It has been a long day and he had to go through all of these things that they called school, as well as keeping said prison from caging his mother. All he wants is to go home early and probably eat some dinner that Sakura made without people looking around at him as he reacts more genuinely. He usually voraciously eats his mother's cooking, almost having to choke from eating them to fast. But he's not doing that right now is he? No. Right now he's hanging around with a bunch of men who thinks fun would be lounging around while attempting the impossible.

Gaara figures it will only take them a few seconds before the group in the other side would not notice them. The red head shifts his position so as not to overlook the occurring disaster; not wanting to see their downfall for fear that the towels that they wrap around their waist may fall in the process.

Suddenly he feels a cold watery sensation on his right cheek, completely opposite to the heat of the place, making him shiver in response. He glances on the direction of the bothered part of his face to find a foreign bottle being introduced to his skin. Shikamaru, who sits beside him since this whole ordeal started, is holding a container that seems to be containing milk onto the boy's face. "They only have melon." Nara explains.

"Oh… um. Thanks." Gaara takes the offered bottle reluctantly and opens it by pulling the metal lid open. He drinks it slowly, ignoring the loud noises of their companions coming from the background. He always liked strawberry flavoured milk over melon, but seeing that he didn't have much of a choice, he enjoys it anyway. The fruit milk reminds him of their time back at the beach, full of summer fun and excitement. Drinking a cold beverage made him relax a little, able to calm down after the daunting festivities hours ago.

"So… how are you and your mom doing?" Nara asks the boy carefully, not wanting him to stir from his laid back position if the boy reacts abruptly. The red head glares at him with suspicion, finding this man with a short ponytail and earrings to be completely strange. But he could tell this adviser to the Hokage is an intellectual, and would treat him just as smartly.

"Fine I guess." He answers simply, not wanting to delve any further on the subject. "That's good." Is Shikamaru's only reply. The man didn't bother to make any more conversation other than that, much to his surprise.

Gaara watches him patiently, ignoring the fact that he hears the ladder falling beside them and the men shouting as they went down with it. Calmly drinking a cup of ice cold Amazake, a mild alcoholic drink, he does not waver as the boy continues to observe him. The way that the sake swirled gently on the small clay cup in a cloudy colour reminds him of that story that he is puzzling about last morning. He needs feedback in order to sort this out, to be able to understand it more. Well, he's going to be stuck in this hot spring for a while; wading around with a genius next to him might actually be beneficial.

"You got something in your mind?" Shikamaru asks, not even needing to look at him closely to know that the kazekage is somewhat troubled.

"Yeah… just a story my mom tells me..I don't really understand it…" The red head explains.

"Oh… tell me and maybe I can help. Sakura is fond of local myths and legends." Shikamaru offers as he finishes his drink and puts a facial towel over his eyes. "And since I'm a local, I can probably help you." The consultant for the Hokage adds. The boy looks a lot more relieved when he hears what the noble man said, like a burden has been lifted from him.

"It's the story about a prince… and the moon goddess.." Gaara's eyebrows furrow as he recalls his childhood story, hoping he got the title right.

"You mean Selene and her immortal prince?" Shikamaru suggests.

"Yes… that's it… Selene…" The Kazekage agrees. His mother describes the goddess as a kind hearted beautiful woman; but when it comes to the prince, she was rather selfish.

"What part of the story did you not understand?" Shikamaru asks as he takes a pail filled with cold water and splashes it on his face, making his towel soak up some of the liquid to hydrate his tired eyes. He passes the bamboo bucket to the boy who takes it but did not follow suit.

Where can the boy start? Almost everything about it haunted him. The way she told the story was so entrancing and heart breaking at the same time. He looks at a stray cherry blossom petal floating on the water of the bucket closely as he listens to the wise young man patiently repeats the story for him:

"Once upon a time, there was a prince who had a wonderful devoted kingdom. He was a prince who wooed his people greatly, and because of this great charm.." The black haired ponytailed guy splashes water on the hot stones nestled on slabs of granite behind their backs, making it steam and fog around them. "That kingdom perished from greed and the unquenched need to please him..."

The way he is telling the story is more direct and less imaginative than how Sakura tells it, making it seem factual and realistic.

"To keep the citizens from killing themselves, the prince decided to leave than to cause any more agony." Shikamaru looks like he empathizes with the character, his voice more sombre than usual. "The goddess of the moon, Selene, felt sorry for the man. She decides to grant him his wish to stay away from his country." They wait until their noisy comrades quiet down before continuing.

"What the hell happened?" Kankuro asks the blonde. "Both of you are too heavy, that's what!" Konohamaru answers, patting his head from the fall.

"Selene sent the prince to a faraway place, to tend for the sheep of a rice god. The prince was happy and contented in doing his task." Shikamaru continues as he removes the cloth that guarded his eyes. "But the goddess was not." Shikamaru removes the string that was keeping his hair up, and then washes it down with another bucket. Gaara follows him, bringing the bucket that was given to him on top of his head and then letting the cool water splash all over him. "The goddess loved the prince." Nara ruffles his own hair to relax the roots in his scalp.

The boy winces, knowing he was about to hear the saddest part of the story.

"The moon begged the sun to let the prince live forever. But to achieve this, the man shall sleep for eternity. Never to wake again." Nara narrates. "Why does he have to sleep? Can't he stay awake?" Gaara asks.

"No, he can't. I do not know for sure, but perhaps because immortality needs a big price to achieve it." They watch as the three other men scurry to find another ladder that is not as obliterate as the former one. "And so the prince sleeps under the tree that Selene planted for him to sleep eternally." As he removes his studs from his ears, he watches as the boy absentmindedly touches his kanji scar. "The goddess could only watch him from the skies, only allowed to occasionally visit him. She cannot do anything else but to witness and tend for the tree." Shikamaru instructs.

"Serendipity." Gaara recognizes the name of the tree that the man speaks of. Shikamaru nods.

"In the end, although the prince lived with her, Selene was never truly with him." Nara says as he closes his eyes, letting the steam confuse his senses. "It was a love that was not meant to be." They look up at the starry night blankly…Ignoring the fact that the other boys are now running around from the buckets and towels and all sorts that are being thrown from the other side.

"Duck and cover!" Naruto shouts, before diving into the water and making big waves in the process. Kankuro and Konohamaru follow suit, making an even messier exit from the raging amenities of the women who furiously shout behind the walls.

.

* * *

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KONOHA: Monday/**Hiroshi Boulevard**/**Hikokomori District**/**Kanto River Bridge**/**9:00 PM**

"Ahh, that was a nice bath wasn't it?" Sarutobi fans himself while he sifts his hair with a towel. "Too bad they got too knocked out to be able to finish the night with nice cold fruit milk." He chugs on a pair of melon beverages while walking behind the two men who are currently carrying other two individuals.

Big brother Sabaku no and Uzumaki got successfully hit on their heads with heavy buckets and ladles, causing them to be temporarily incapable of moving. "A pair of nuisance." Gaara glares ahead as he makes his sand float like an umbrella next to him, a very unconscious big brother on top of it. Shikamaru seems to agree, holding up the blonde young man with his large shadow hands.

"Well, this is where I go the other way." Konohamaru stops and signals them that he will be going in another direction than they are. "Later Shika-nii-san!" He waves at his older friend who in turn gives him a similar hand gesture. "I'll see you at school Gaara-kun!" He points at the red head, telling him that he better show up in the academy tomorrow.

"Don't count on it." The kazekage answered, not giving a second glance as he walks on.

"I'll drag you there if I have to! Meet you at the front of your house!" The grandson of the former hokage finishes with a laugh, humming a tune as he leaves.

"Nice friend to have isn't he?" Nara comments, giving the boy a playful hit on the arm with his elbow. Gaara, who finds his behaviour rather odd, shrugs and choose not to tell his own opinion. "He's not so bad when you get used to his Naruto-like behaviour." Shikamaru adds.

"I wouldn't say that. He has more control than that blonde idiot." The Kazekage reflects. The now ponytailed dark haired man chuckles, poking Naruto in the rib. Uzumaki grunts, but does not wake from his sleep. "She's beautiful tonight." Gaara mentions, his eyes reflecting a large glowing milky white figure waning above them mysteriously.

"Who is?" Shikamaru asks, and then gazes at the object that the red head is looking at. "You're right. She's big and bright at this hour." He grins, admiring the pale sphere that is freckled with craters.

After a few minutes of admiring the moon, the boy intrudes by asking a question that bothers him: "Why did she have to make him immortal if she couldn't even be with him anyway?"

"Well kid, it's because she didn't want him to change." Shikamaru explains at his own perception. "Why not? Isn't change good?" Gaara asks.

"Not for some people, and sometimes, not for most." Nara tells the boy. The young man with a ponytail who is at his limit, with his shadow he weakly props Naruto on his shoulder before disappearing. "You see, when people change. They can love differently… either stronger… weaker… or not at all." The man with coal eyes that sparks sentimentality continues, unknowingly projecting himself to the story's situation.

"Is that why she wanted him to be immortal?" The Kazekage questions.

"Probably…" Shikamaru merely replies, lost in thought. "But she never gave him a chance to love her… He never knew her." The boy explains, not waiting to let the older man explain further.

"Yes. She didn't even show herself. It was a one-sided love, and she wanted it that way."

"But why?"

He stops walking, making the boy stop as well. They are on the middle of the bridge now, hearing the sound of the river that gently passing through. "Because she was afraid. Afraid to face him…"

"Because of… fear?"

"Yes." He could tell that his answer is confusing for the young man. "Can I ask the questions for once?" Shikamaru asks, looking at him directly in the eye.

Gaara slowly nods, finding his request to be reasonable.

"Why are you so interested about this? What's troubling you?"

"I… I don't know… I just…" He lowers his eyes, clearly lost himself.

Nara calmly rests his free hand on the boy's shoulder. "I know it's very confusing right now, and you feel rather betrayed with the story…" He starts walking again, laboured from the weight that he had to carry until Gaara took Naruto for him out of his hands. Shikamaru let out a breath of relief, finding the snoring blonde to have been quite a burden indeed. "But you will understand it. At the right time…" A cold wind introduces itself to them, cooling their thoughts that were alarmed and troubled. "And when you do. It will be up to you, whether you react well or not."

For a few seconds, they walk in silence. Until the red head sees the roof of their destination and decides to ask the question that came to him. "Have you been in that kind of situation before?"

"Sort of…" Shikamaru answers, truly uncertain whether he is experiencing that sort of ordeal. They arrive at the guest house, the two men twitching as they hover atop sand. "Well, we're here…" As he oversees the boy opening the wooden door of their gates, he catches a glimpse of action at the windows in the corner of his eye.

"Aren't you going to come in?" The red head asks politely, still handling his two older friends by his sand.

"No. I'll just leave." His pupils grow irritant as the lights come from the window stung his vision slightly, making him forced to look away.

"Are you sure?" Gaara asks him knowingly, as if he is actually questioning him for more than one reason.

"Yeah… I can't… Not yet." He understands, with a knowing grin, what the boy meant. And as he hears more than motions in the house, his words become even more resumed and required. He closes his eyes, looking away, when he heard the distinct sound of laughter coming from that one person he wants to avoid. Shikamaru puts his hands on his pockets and then turns his back on the scene.

"She misses you." The kazekage mentions, meaning every word of it, looking at the man's back.

"What?" Nara's lowered head raises slightly, his coal black eyes at a loss.

"She misses you, you know." The boy's deep green pupils look at him directly, repeating his words, although he knows that the man has surely heard him well. And Shikamaru did, nodding slowly as he turns his head to look at the young man who cared enough to tell him. A sad smile is on what is once his emotionless face, drawn by the stillness of the night.

"I know." Nara then murmurs, before he resumes to leaving the boy on his own, glancing at an open window that shows her to him.

As the teenager closes the gates and knock at the door of their home…A blonde woman looks outside, thinking she saw someone else than her brother and the two hoodlums groggily shouting about. Her blue wistful eyes dart to the shadows that seem to have shown the familiar outline of a man she knows well. But she ignores the thought and let her notion slip by. Thinking that it was just her imagination.

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KONOHA: Monday**/Konoha Guest House**/**Sakura's Bedroom**/**9:30 PM**

He opens the door slowly and steps inside, hoping that he is not disturbing her too much. "Mom…?"

Everything is in a deep blue shade, except for the pale white colours of the curtains and the bed that she sleeps in. It is like the moon decided to enlighten itself to be glowing in the prominent contours of the room. He didn't bother to change into sleep wear, not like he even own some that fit at the moment anyway. She looks so at peace, curled up in a ball, not bothering to pull her blanket to cover herself. At first, he just stands there, watching her body rise up and down from breathing. But he soon covers her with the bedspread, finding that the white cotton complements her pink nightdress nicely.

Slowly removing his uncomfortable tie, much to his relief, he is disappointed that he still managed to wake her up.

"Hey honey… how was your first day of school?" She asks with her eyes closed, a smirk playing on her face.

"It's alright…" He replies, sitting himself on the edge of the window, feeling roof tiles below him.

"That's great… I'm happy for you…" She yawns, not bothered at all by his presence, and is about to go back to sleep; but she didn't hear the door close to tell her he went to bed. "Something wrong hon?" She knows that every time he settles himself by the roof or on the ledge of a window, it might mean a few things.

"I can't sleep…" He answers, avoiding her gaze as he does. "Is it alright if I spend the night with you, mum?" Gaara asks with a hopeful tone, peering at her from his location until he sees her deep green eyes. He blushes, looking down at the wooden floor as he scratches his head. She laughs lightly, recalling the last time that he asked her that question.

"Of course you can…" The pink haired kunoichi tells him in a welcoming tone. Walking lightly with bare feet, he makes himself comfortable by removing his shirt, and then going under the covers without a word.

"Do you want me to tell you a story?" She jokingly brings up, a question that she usually asks after agreeing to him sleeping with her. But that is a long time ago, back when he was still a boy. And so she sees it as hilarious to bring up. Although he is given a diversion from merely looking at her face to face, the boy continues to look into her eyes. The young man shakes his head slowly, shifting from the bed on his side.

"This time… I want to tell you the story…" He edges closer to her and then tucks a stray bang behind the woman's ear.

At first she was surprised, blinking her eyes as she let his words sink in. But his unwavering determined face makes her understand. She has to listen to the story. "I'm listening…" Sakura lowers her gaze, trying to lessen his possible uncertainty; but she smiles, knowing that his son is anything but— the young man leans closer to her, his eyes watching her as he proceeds to speak to her in a hushed voice.

"Once upon a time… there was a prince that the moon goddess was in love with." He tells her like he told it a hundred times, but in truth, he has heard it more than enough to get the idea and made it on his own. And for once she feels like she is the child, being cuddled casually like it didn't matter as much. But it did, it did for her at least.

All these months, she has been keeping him in arms way. This time it's different, this time he has the upper hand. It is somehow strange, but right now, it doesn't irritate her at all. "He was someone that everyone loved, so much so that it was more of an infatuated obsession." Here he is, using big words again, making her even more interested. She wonders sometimes, how he got such sophisticated words when she never even mentioned some of them before. Perhaps it is just a part of who he was, such vocabulary coming out like they are nothing but his own nature to do so.

"Tired of their empty fixations towards him, he decided to leave his kingdom to save it in return." Gaara brings his arm to rest beneath her neck, his hand resting on her small back. His touch made her shiver in response, and her chest lighter than usual. "Feeling sorry for the prince, the moon goddess Selene grants his wish, though he has never met her before." He brings her closer to him, pressing his hand from her back to make her go to him unintentionally. "Because she was in love with him… and that was alright." He whispers onto her ear, curling her hair with his finger.

She could sense that he is smiling faintly while he says those words, somewhat soothing her. But for some reason, her heart is beating twice than it usually does.

"So much so… that she wanted him immortal." Then his voice falters, emitting sadness. Ahh, yes. This is the part that disturbed him the most.

Ignoring her own nerves, she gently blows his bangs that covered his eyes. She got him to look at her eyes, encouraging the young man to go on. "And so she prayed to the gods to make him live forever, only to be given a condition that the man should sleep endlessly." He traces the contours of her face gently with his fingers, making her long eyelashes bat uncontrollably from the attention."She wanted so much to stay by his side, and so she accepted the condition. But something broke the spell." Bringing her hand to rest on his chest, she could feel a constant thumping that swayed against her.

She brings her ear closer, hearing soft murmuring beats of his heart.

"The man was already in love." He tells her. His beats became even more rampant when he says those words, and then they slow down as he continues. "He was in love with the moon goddess, even though he never saw her directly. Always watching her from the shade of the tree that she planted." He seems to be at a loss as she draws even closer to him, attracted by the sound that he effortlessly makes.

Nevertheless he goes on, stuttering as he does. "A-and so after confiding h-his feelings for her, Selene loved him for the rest of his life. She watched him as he grew old, along with the tree that they spent their time together." The young man could tell that she is feeling colder now, shivering as a reaction of the wind that came before them. The white curtains flow gracefully at their side, inviting the breeze in their wake. "And though he died. His decades of affection, spanned more than centuries… and perhaps an eternity."

He draws the blanket close to cover her shoulders, and then allows himself to completely envelop her with his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. He feels so at peace with her by his side, stroking her long hair, careful not to make any disturbing movements. "Leaving her irreplaceable memories to cherish… with Serendipity as the symbol of their love. "

It is bittersweet, but he would not have it any other way. Closing his eyes, he concludes his story with the last of his own consciousness. "The End."

The paleness of the moon shows in a translucent blue all around them, now paving the walls of the room in a rippled effect, reminding him of the ocean. And as they lie there, almost fast asleep, the boy swears that he could hear drifting waves on sifting sand at a starry night. Humming silently on a grassy hill close by, where they stay covered by the branches of vibrant scarlet cherry blossoms.

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**Gaara's Current Age: 14 Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment: Four Months and three days**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	16. His first kiss

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His First Kiss"**

**(Cherry Blossom Festival - Part One)**

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**Gaara's Previous Age:** **14 Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment:** **Four Months and four days**

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**LAND OF FIRE - KONOHA: Friday/Konoha Ninja Academy/Private Institution/ Sophomore Building**/**Class 2-A**/**7:00 AM**

"Haaah..I was hoping that it wouldn't come to this." Neji Hyūga complains loudly. The younger man remains however, silent; as they stand in the hallway before entering home room class.

The young yet older sensei looks at him with stormy opal eyes, as if trying to analyze the anomaly before him. He is finding a hard time to truly understand the situation of this person, but after being assessed by Kakashi-sensei, he has no other choice but to oblige with the arrangement. Until now, he finds this decision to be sceptical. He is a concerned teacher after all. Who wouldn't question the fact that this freshman becomes a sophomore in just a few days? But this is a special case, and as much as he despises bothersome things, there is no viable reason not to deny him his right to study appropriately.

"Must have been a big surprise for Sakura-san, to find you in this state." The light long brown haired man points out, looking at the adolescent man up and down. Noticing the boy's seemingly questioning face, he gives the teenager a knowing grin before informing him: "I'm just a friend of hers. So you can loosen up your shoulders." Hyuuga says, awkwardly patting his back. Hearing his more than enough explanation of himself, the red head does as he was told; but still continues to look at him suspiciously for a little while before letting his assumptions go discreetly.

"Sorry… I've been a bit short tempered these days…" The Kazekage apologizes for his unnecessary hostility.

"Ah well, you're sixteen now. Being short tempered is only the least of your problems." Neji reasons nonchalantly, checking the boy's name on his Student Check list.

"I wouldn't call that short temper anyway, I would call it anxiousness. Have you been expressing yourself that way a lot lately?" He asks.

"Kind of… Just when it comes to my mom I guess…" Gaara uncomfortably confides.

"Your... mom? You mean Haruno…?" Hyuuga repeats in disbelief. Seeing as the boy silently agrees, he grimaces at this odd and possibly straining situation that his colleagues have brought into themselves. "Your relationships may be a bit confusing as this wanes on… Especially with her…" Hyuuga remarks in a mumbling voice.

"Um… I didn't quite catch what you said…" The red head predictably replies, while scratching his head.

The young stressed-out sophomore teacher openly sighs in return, keeping his pen and opening the door of the classroom that both of them will be going through. He gives a hand gesture, telling him to go ahead before him. Not bothering to clarify what he said to the boy, he instead offers him a redundant statement that he emphasizes in a form of a riddle: "Like I said, Mr. Sabaku no…" He continues, looking at him with both sympathy and amusement, "You're sixteen. Being short tempered is only the least of your problems." Neji Hyūga finishes with a small grin.

Gaara looks at him with mild suspicion, but shrugs unnecessary concern to the man's suggestion. Following what was ordered, he goes into the room, followed by Neji who shuts the door behind them.

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KONOHA: Friday/Konoha Ninja Academy/**Freshman Building**/**Exit Grounds**/**3:00 PM**

"It's a good thing that we get to go home early…" A dark brown haired young man with goggles happily states, his hands on the back of his head as he walks with his friend.

"I don't know how you do high school everyday… It's utterly boring." Sarutobi's mildly red head gloomy friend replies, ignoring the boy's optimism, yawning as he lazily walks.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad. You're just sayin that because you find learning boring. I'd be bored if I already knew all the answers before the teachers could explain them." Konohamaru complains.

"It's not like I have the choice." Gaara reasons, his brow arching in an irritated manner while scratching the side of his head. "Why were we dismissed early anyway?" He asks to change the topic.

"The School Council and Homecoming Committee will be preparing for tomorrow's Annual Alumni Dance." The promising Hokage replies, combing his hair to make it stand up. The red head looks at him confused, silently asking him to define this odd occasion. Konohamaru shakes his head with a smirk before replying: "It's when the graduates of the academy meet up and just hang out for some hours. You know, just to catch up and stuff. Haven't you had one before? In your past life?" He says, quoting his last question. His fellow classmate shrugs in response.

"I don't think so." Gaara concludes, tipping his bag as he ventures in long strides.

"So how was 2-A? A lot of pretty nee-sans must have tried to pull moves on you already." Sarutobi suggests, elbowing him as he does.

This morning, the freshmen class had to say a bittersweet farewell to the young Kazekage. After going through another level of age development, the silver haired year-one teacher decided to make him advance to the next year. Konohamaru was disappointed, but since the guy is still close by, he wasn't complaining as much. Gaara as well wasn't as bothered; but the girls in their class loudly protested. Even Kai Kishimoto, the bully of their year, was not as neutral about the Kazekage's transfer either; swearing all throughout the process until the boy packed all his things and left for the other building.

"Mom, Nara-onii, or the stupid old man will be participating in that Alumni thing?" He replies, not wanting to talk about his arduous public initiation day.

"Yeah definitely! Even Big brother Kankuro-kun and Big Sis Temari-chan are invited. The occasion involves the academy of all countries. Every village celebrates it and ninjas of other villages are invited as well, just in case they're in the neighbourhood for missions and decide to stop by and enjoy the festivities." Konohamaru answers, complying with the Kazekage's changing of topic again.

"Are we invited?" Gaara asks timidly, a bit shy that he asks such a question.

"Of course we are! It's our school after all!" Konohamaru readily replies with a laugh, resting his arm around the boy's neck.

Just as they are about to go through the gates of the academy, a group of Kishimoto's henchmen and Kai Kishimoto himself block their way, probably hiding behind the walls of the institution to proclaim an ambush without alerting much of the students and school faculty. They look at the two boys smugly, carrying blunt weapons that they drag behind them. Finding the delinquents circling them frustrates Sarutobi, who loudly expresses his irritation by messing his hair as he complains to them, "Dammit Kai, why are you bothering us on such a sunny day? Your mug is a complete killjoy!"

"Exactly. It is such a nice day out today, and we're even dismissed early as well. What else would make this day better by bashing yer brains out?" Kai gruffly answers back, showing his fists. Konohamaru grimaces as he faces the giant with the red head on his side, putting his backpack on the ground. "You step aside Sarutobi, I'm fighting off the arrogant new kid this time." Kishimoto directs at the dark brown haired kid who looks at him like he was utterly insane. "I told that redhead before didn't I? I want a fair one-on-one match with your buddy there, not with you." He impatiently complains.

Sarutobi scoffs, not believing the thug's statement. "Then why do your friends carry bats and hammers like they're planning to step in anytime at this so called 'one on one' match of yours?" The young man points out, folding his arms as he still takes his stand in this unfair situation. Gaara continues to watch as his friend failingly attempts to get them out of this situation without effortless delay.

"Oh those? Nah, they're just here so you wouldn't be tempted in running off. Don't worry; they won't even lift a finger." The head of the group explains while pointing at his fellow jerks who waves in return, obviously lifting more than one finger already. Seeing that they made such a mistake, one of them hold's the idiot's arm down in attempt to hide their apparent mistake. "Come oooon, entertain us a little. It's not a difficult thing tha do. You guys have some free time yeah? Why not spend it with us for a bit. It won't take me too long to defeat our upperclassman over there…" He says with a scary grin.

Before Konohamaru is about to retort once again, Gaara rests his hand at Sarutobi's shoulder to make the boy who is a bit shorter than he is now look back and see his already determined face. Reading the kazekage's face almost instantly, Sarutobi is about to reason with him not to resolve to such unnecessary violence but is interrupted by the red head's explanation, "He won't stop until he's satisfied. Might as well give him what he wants. I wanted to ask him a few questions about Mom anyway." He patiently tells to his friend, who snickers in return.

"Fine." The former Hokage's grandson complies."It's your funeral, Kishimoto. Since this is supposed to be a fair game, I think it's fair to tell you that Gaara is not just any Sand Official's Son. You're gonna have your ass whooped." The dark brown haired boy with goggles warns his provoking classmate as he steps aside to guard the armoured group if they start anything stupid, leaving the two to spar in the middle of the circles that they have made.

"My family runs a Judo Dojo. That's more than enough in handling this shrimp." Kai defends himself, bending his neck a couple of times before assuming his stance. The Kazekage however, does not position himself appropriately as the thug does. Instead the boy chooses to stick with his own casual form, keeping his hands on his pocket and his back low without much of a care on how he will be executed. "Your form is shit, new kid. But if that's how you want to be defeated, then fine. Eat this!" He announces, before raising a hand and pivoting it into a good tight fist.

But before Kishimoto is able to land his hit on the red head's face, he is toppled into the ground from the result of Gaara's low side-swept kick.

Although the Kazekage may have gained a few years, his size and weight cannot still be compared to that of Kai's. Imagine their surprise when they find the giant on the ground, vulnerable, while his much smaller contender easily stands on his side. Seeing that their boss is in such a stance is now instantly compelling the henchmen to raise their weapons. But before they can even land a hit, Konohamaru multiplies himself by using the shadow clone jutsu to block their way before they could even move an inch. In the end, the fallen leader lies stumped beneath the boy without a word but spite in his eyes.

Going down to his knees, he offers his hand, making Kai wince grudgingly. Instead of taking the young man's offer, Kishimoto tries to give Gaara a head butt. His attempt of hitting the Kazekage's head, however, fails. Kai's forehead is slammed by the redhead's hand, making the back of the head hit the concrete floor loudly. Having taken his attention entirely, the red head nonchalantly interrogates him: "What did my mom do for you guys…? How does a goon like you know her?" Gaara asks the fallen teen who is still having a hard time to accept that he lost.

"Your mom was a nurse intern; she helped us out a couple of times. I dunno how did Sakura-nee-san ended up as your mother, but I don't care anyways. All I care bout is that she probably trained ya well enough. And she did. Very damn well in fact. Damn." Kishimoto replies, swatting the kazekage's heavy hold angrily, standing and then patting his clothes furiously.

"Oi, oi, oi! What the hell is going on in there!?" Someone shout from a distance. Two men are now running their direction in fast speed, a very large dog tagging along.

"Shit! It's Hyuuga and Inuzuka Sensei, let's get out of here!" Kai warns his group who run as soon as he told them to. Just as he was about to get away himself, the thug turns around and gives the red head a threatening glare. "This isn't over Sabaku no! I'll get you one way or another!" Kishimoto threatens, before following his colleagues to exit before they are caught.

"Haah~, the kid Kishimoto runs away again. Man, when is that boy gonna man up and take punishment for his actions?" Kiba states as he pauses with the rest of the lot, sighing as he pats Akamaru's back absentmindedly. The giant dog beast, in turn, barks as a way of complaint protest at such irresponsible behaviour.

"Just leave him be. If we catch him again for trying to beat up another student, Kishimoto will never be able to graduate and finally get out of this academy." Neji philosophically reasons as he observes the Kazekage get up by himself, checking the boy's vital signs with Hyūga's ghost-like eyes. "Sabaku no is not harmed anyway. It looks like Sakura's boy has a greater advantage."

"Eh? Seriously? Psh, leave it to Haruno to bring up a completely independent kid with no care of who he's beating up." Inuzuka thumps Gaara's head purposely, making the boy glare at him. "See? She even taught him how to make a proper scary face. Geh, gives me the jitters." Kiba pretends to look cold, shivering with hugging himself, trying to look intimidated but not really.

"This is an odd occasion. Who are we to thank for looking at your ugly mugs?" Konohamaru obnoxiously asks, showing his teeth with a wide grin. The two older men in return give him a murderous intent.

"You're way too early to call us ugly, boy!" The brown haired sensei with prominent fangs states while giving his lower-classman a good noogie. "He might have been pertaining to your face only Kiba, not mine of course." The light brown haired professional looking young man reasons, folding his arms in good form, completely denying what was complimented at him. "What? Bah, you're still as vain as this idiot was when you were his age." Kiba answers in return, still not letting go of the boy with goggles who is writhing out of his strong hold.

"You can thank Naruto, if that's who you're looking for. He told us to get you guys today since Gaara-kun is still new in this place." Neji further ignores his colleague's greatly dramatized description of him, passing the two younger men a pair of festive looking Yukata.

"What are these for?" Gaara predictably asks his sensei. Konohamaru however, automatically understood, trying the robes without delay.

"We're in the middle of the Sakura Season; we're going to go to the public park where a Cherry Blossom Viewing festival is going to begin soon." Sarutobi informs, grinning by himself after finding that the yukata fits perfectly fine for his frame.

"Cherry blossom festival?" Gaara repeats, still finding the custom to be odd.

"It's a festival. You've never been in a festival before?" Kiba then asks the boy. The Kazekage shakes his head slowly in return.

"Huh, I figured Haruno would've explained it to you beforehand. She must've wanted it to be a surprise for you." Inuzuka projects.

From that the red head's insecurity instantly disappears. He realizes that this occasion is something that his mom is looking forward to. What this dog-like man is telling him is making sense. If he thinks about it, Sakura was looking a bit too giddy last morning. It was as if she was hiding her enthusiasm but doing a horrible job at it.

"What are we waiting for?" He finally concludes, putting the robes over himself; and with a few frustrated pulls, he is able to copy what Sarutobi traditionally does with his own yukata.

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KONOHA: Friday/** Sakura ōdōri (Cherry Blossom Boulevard)/Sakura Viewing Festival/4:00 PM**

Surrounded by many large ancient trees that hover above them, the celebrating carefree people are carefully and constantly covered by their full bloom branches of colourful petals. The Sakura are gracefully showing off their scarlet and ivory leaves that wade brilliantly like glowing ember on a cooling fire, branches shifting slowly and making the sweet smelling leaves to fall and dance with the wind that is as light and carefree as the surroundings that they behold. The sunset glisten the fevered woods even more, as it heavily edges from the far away mountains that are slightly coated with snow.

As they continue to observe the festivities that welcome them, they walk idly with their wooden bamboo sandals that tap noisily at the stone path of the open yet warmly clustered boulevards of the occasion. There are more people than usual, wearing costumes and uniforms that express flowery prints and wading water. Children skip happily as they do their best to follow their guardians, choosing to run once in a while once they see someone familiar close by to play with. All sorts of flavourful food and simple yet fun parlour games and trinket stores, the colourful lantern lights complement such awe.

But as much as the surroundings are expressively beautiful, one of them is constantly searching through the crowds more than enjoying the sights. Choosing to focus on finding that particular person of who is the sole reason why he decided to come with them in the first place. Numerous times that Konohamaru tried to get his attention by pointing at a particular interesting activity, and yet the young man continues to be as distracted as he can be back in school, where he'd rather watch the window the whole time to make sure that Sakura will not enter too lightly like before.

"Hey guys, over here!"A young blonde man calls out to them loudly, accompanied by another group of which the red head does not recognize.

Seeing the wide grinning idiot, Gaara dashes to his direction in seconds, pushing away some of the tourists who are blocking his way. He looks like an intimidating man on a mission, light of expectation burning from his eyes. He knows at least, that if Naruto is around then that means that his mother might be by the man's side. As soon as he recognized that voice, he doesn't even care about focusing on Uzumaki's face, he is more determined to find if the unique shade of pink hair is soon to be identified around these bustling bystanders. Unfortunately, as he comes closer, she is not around at all.

He then emits a frustrated growl, scratching his head as he did. He is clearly disappointed to find his assumption to be wrong.

"Oh, Gaara-chan, that was fast! Did you miss me?~" Naruto happily projects at the younger man, who is slightly gasping for air after running at such an inhuman way.

The Kazekage sighs sourly before he replies: "I thought I saw someone's face that was worth resting my fist on. But then I realized it was you." Finding that the blonde idiot is a crestfallen pouty face, the red head could not help but create a mild sadistic smirk as he pat his older colleague lightly on the shoulder. "Don't flatter yourself meaninglessly Old Man. It's disgusting." He finishes, as a way to virtually take Uzumaki's soul before he presumes into a formal stance, waiting for the others to catch up. While doing so, he cannot help but notice the individuals who stand behind his brooding rival.

There are four of them behind. One of them he remembers, but he doesn't recall the others. They seem to be about the same age as his mother and the yellow monkey, except for his silver haired sensei and another guy who looks like an action star with such a ridiculous coconut head hairstyle. Obviously Naruto's age, the other two companions are just as odd. One is kind of fat on the side, but his fat looks more like reserved energy, more than wasteful blubber. Another comical character looks like someone who has fish like eyes with the most prominent eyelashes.

"Oh! So this is the great Kazekage!" Guy-sensei pushes the group aside to get a better look at his possible contender. His fighting intent however falters, finding that the man he thought he would be able to fight fairly is but half of what he thinks is appropriate for a one-on-one battle royale. "What is this...it is but a young lad!..Ah, so what my forever-rival told me is true…" He announces sadly. The coconut head teacher sighs loudly as he tearfully pats Gaara's head. "And I thought I could at least make you fight my young apprentice over here… but alas…" He dramatically finishes.

**Might Guy. **The one and only person in town who dresses up like Bruce lee. In fact, he might have based the well-known artist's name to that of his own apprentice. He has an odd haircut that nobody would be caught dead with in this present time. He is such an epic and eccentric person that his apprentice also copied his way of styling himself. Currently he is single, but at his own decision. There are many foreigners who find his odd way of socializing to be manly and powerful. His goal for the year is to date one hundred European blondes after twelve months. He is yet to gain a number.

"Ahh~, that is too bad." The young man with fish like eyes reacts with tears streaming animatedly from his face, his arms folded and his back low in disappoint; announcing his role as the sensei's apprentice in a loud manner. Together they somewhat look alike, now standing side by side as they mourn on their lost opportunity. "I would have liked to fight Gaara-kun… but fate does not permit me."

**Rock Lee.** A no-nonsense looking guy, who takes the unspoken ninja code seriously. Unlike his old coconut-head haircut that he had when he was years younger, he now has quite a playful cut that is kept longer in a laid back detail. He is equipped with formal fighting wear used primarily as practice, the Konoha seal gleaming on his forehead protector that is tied properly around his head, fashioning a pair of semi-professional black sandals. Currently teaching middle-school kids the basic style of defence, he does not have much time to flirt with the ladies like he used to.

"Do you know me?" The red head asks Rock Lee, picking up the familiarity that the older young fish-eyed boy suggests.

"Yes! Very well!" Lee enthusiastically replies. And just like Naruto, goes to him in an overly friendly manner, by making his arm comfortable around the red head's shoulder. "Gaara-kun and I go a long way back! In fact, you and I fought before and I ended up with painful fractures that ended with almost unhealable side effects!" He laughs loudly in a carefree manner as he informs this haunting information to the boy who looks more distraught than amused as the man chuckling beside him comfortably. "Don't worry! No hard feelings! But just so you know, if we ever spar again, I'll have your leg! Hahaha!"

Gaara doesn't bother to laugh with him. This weird person must have been not serious after all. Not serious. He is just kidding right?

"Now now Lee, threatening the boy would do no good. You know that! Gaahaahahaha!" Guy pats both of them hard on the back, joining in this odd hilarious consideration of possibly fighting each other.

'_**What an odd pair.' **_Gaara concludes, before deciding to relax from their carefree hold that they have on him.

"Hey, hey. Best not to kid around about sparring with him. You know what Sakura will do if she ever heard any of you mention such things." Kakashi-sensei advises, grabbing the Guy and Lee on the head to pull them at least a step back from the boy so as to give the teen his needed space.

"Oh yeah! I heard Sakura has been spending time in Suna as the Kazekage's assigned mother! So it's true then?" Their heavy looking colleague points out with a raised finger and a big grin that made his red swirls on his plump cheeks somewhat move in amusement.

**Chōji Akamichi.** A plus size ninja who has excess fat that reserves his enormous chakra. Actively working with his father to improve the barriers of the village, he is usually equipped with heavy armour. However, at this sort of occasion, he has chosen a favourable comfortable Yukata in uniformity to the festivities. Although having a girlfriend is a pleasant idea for the man, food is more of his current interest. Sadly, he has yet to find a woman who could cook well enough to his standards. It will take a while for someone to finally appeal to his appetite. A long loooong while.

"What? Seriously? Why have I not heard of this before?" Lee reacts by what his chubby friend informs publicly, truly devastatingly unaware of Haruno's situation. Having heard such a detail, he takes a moment to reflect about such an ordeal in which Sakura and this boy have gone through.

Sensing what Rock Lee is probably thinking about, Naruto decides to play a harmless joke as he cheekily advises the fish eyed young man about the possibilities that might have occurred with such a mother and son relationship. Resting his arm playfully on Lee's shoulders, he whispers, "Envious isn't it? Being his mom and all, they must've had baths and naps together~" He mercilessly teases.

Almost automatically, Uzumaki's well taunted friend failingly attempts to cover his nose that decides to bleed all on its own. Immediately he turns around, but could not cover his already obvious reaction to Naruto's suggestion. "I am so jealous!" Lee shouts to hide his overwhelmed emotions, keeping his a hand on his bloody nose while the other is made into a high fist to pronounce injustice.

"Augh, seriously! You could at least cover your perverted reaction properly middle-school sensei… It's a good thing your junior students are not around." Kiba states, having just arrived with the rest.

"T-this is nothing of that sort! Today's temperature is just odd is all! I'm just an average healthy and slightly anaemic young man!" Lee defends, trying not to get to Gaara's or Sakura's bad side.

"Yeah, Yeah… Say, where's Nara? Isn't he done with his shift on the border?" Inuzuka asks Akamichi. "He told me that he'll catch up. He has to finish a few more orders by Tsunade-baa-san before he gets here." Chōji says quite anxiously, a bit distracted with the smell of fresh cooked dango.

"Let's get going then. Shikamaru knows where we're going. We better stick to the schedule or else we won't be able to catch the fireworks display with all of us just standing around." Neji explains while eyeing at his chubby friend who would greatly not mind to start looking at the food stands close by.

"Ohh, Fireworks! And here I thought we wouldn't have any because it has been too cold and damp lately! Wohoo!" Konohamaru chimes in with a loud note, clinging to a boy who is not as excited as he is.

All the while that they were conversing to each other for a short time, Gaara's eyes are darting back and forth at these new and strange characters that he has no idea how to deal with. Every single one of them is at least a level higher than he has standardized himself. Sure, they do not compare to that of Naruto's immense life-force level that matches his own. But judging from their demeanours, they have undergone experience that he has yet to catch up with. Admittedly, if he does a one-on-one sparring session to either of them, he would have a difficult time.

'_**I'm hanging out with a bunch of monsters.' **_He sighs. His jaw and fists, tightening from his frustration and helplessness. As he blindingly follows them quietly to the food stalls for some refreshments, he wonders why his mother would be associated to such strong men. Even as they got through the crowds, the audience would accommodate a path for them to pass. They all look so menacing, that the villagers would greatly pave a way for them, so as not to make any problems or disturbances. What he dreads the most is that this group can be the type of monsters that women may be interested in.

Sure, some of them are too wacky for him to picture a girl by their arms. But judging from the looks and the controlled elated voices that the women around them are expressing, being a little crazy is not an issue at all. Now that he thinks about it, his mother would not be as affectionate to him if she cared about such mediocre judgments. But that just make his anxiousness even worse to know that Sakura does not really keep a limitation for someone to be close to her. She doesn't care much about looks or mannerisms. She doesn't mind about their past and odd tendencies.

'_**Basically, she doesn't have a standard.'**_ He painfully groans, scratching the side of his head in an irritated manner from his realization.

Unbeknownst to him, his obvious trance-like state is being observed by his group who choose to seemingly stay distracted by the many parlour games that they participate in. Konohamaru is the only one who is glaring at him directly, poking the redhead's cheek with a dango that Chōji treated them to. His protesting pout becomes even more prominent by seeing that Gaara is still not waking up from his thoughts, choosing to accept the nudges of a spherical street food on his cheek without a protest. Sarutobi sighs loudly, before nudging the teen with his elbows in attempt to take his attention.

"Oi, oi, zomu-baka! You're showing level one monstrosity in public! At least try not to be too obvious!" He lectures to the redhead, who merely replies with a "Hn." Gaara replies, before going back to furiously thinking of a way outside of their supposedly fun get together with friends. "Augh, Seriously. You've fallen down hard, my brother." Konohamaru says in mourning, resting his hand to his mourning forehead while chewing on the dango that he used to poke the Kazekage on the cheek messily.

Gaara does not realize nor sense the men running towards a particular direction, or the cooing of children in awe at the spectacle that nears him. He simply sits, caught at his own daydreams. With a small smile, he gingerly finishes the small ring of white cherry blossoms and brings it to sparkle under the setting sun, his eye wincing a bit as he reaches for the hazy orange rays. Slowly bringing it down to look at the bustling streets, he blinks repeatedly as he foresees somebody coming his way in a blur. "Gaara-bear!" Sakura beckons, openly calling him while waving her hand.

Hearing her voice makes his mirage into reality. Immediately he stands, almost jumping, to go unto her direction. But instead of running towards her like he always do, he freezes; staring at the person coming his way, like she is someone completely different from that which he is familiar with. She doesn't run as leisurely as she usually does. Her quickened pace is quite dainty; careful not to trip from her tall wooden sandals that are simply held by fairly sturdy cloth that matches her outfit. Her clothes are bright, and complimenting her brilliantly. Gaara has never seen her in such a style before.

She wears a kimono, like her friends who are trailing close by. But somehow to Gaara, her outfit is looking more vibrant than the rest of girls. It is truly a beautiful piece. Simple, yet elegant. Conservative, and yet daunting. The first layer is a silver outline, like rippling water. The second layer is an eye catching hue of pink that makes her hair stands out even more from the crowd. The third layer of her kimono is greatly decorated with embroidered flower petals that seem to stir playfully as she moves. Her hair is uniquely pulled up with a beautiful jade and silver hairpin.

What an enticing flower that gently swoons around the river, beckoning many eyes as she drifts to his direction. Quickly, he must think of a plan that would intimidate the masses.

He exhales deeply, and then radiates a welcoming smile to the woman. Bringing his gait straight and his chin up, he reduces the confidence of men who were previously aiming at Sakura until they noticed the person of whom she is heading to. If there is one awesome benefit of growing older, it is that he looks old enough to be his mother's boyfriend. He makes his body tense enough to expel a sense of maturity, superiority occurs as he strides to meet the young lady halfway. He keeps shoulders broad and his eyes straight at the target. His aura is menacing enough to keep the audience frightened.

The Kazekage is not surprised as a fool steps into, and blocks, the invisible path that the crowd has provided for him to walk in, the young but much older man waves obnoxiously at the very attractive mother like he was originally the one that Sakura was beckoning to. With great exaggerated strokes, the idiotic person who is twice the teenager's size tries to keep Gaara out of the picture. But before the stranger is able to utter a word, Gaara paws the person from the side of the head and then flings him out of the way, making the nuisance fly off so hard into the ground that the guy coughed out dirt.

Of course Sakura does not notice that he has done such an act. He has made sure of it. He shoves the person to the side in a split second. That kind of inhuman tossing needs speed that could cut the wind, and strength that will make the heaviest rock light as a feather. But just to make sure that the pink haired kunoichi have not noticed it with her critical eyes, the Kazekage diverts her attention greater by offering a wide grin and an enthusiastic wave as he calls on her. "Mom!" So he says, quite loudly in fact; killing the intent of men who thought she is still openly single and without responsibility.

"A-akuma... He didn't even bother to just ask the poor guy to get out of the way.." The former Hokage's grandson shivers, disturbed by such silent rage. "That's Demon-level 2." He grudgingly accepts. He then sighs as he recalls times when this kind of habit has occurred before. "Now that I think about it… He didn't have any trouble stepping on people's heads when Sakura-nee-san went to school for a visit."

Picking up Sarutobi's grief, Uzumaki comes over, winning a lantern from one of the games that are being displayed on the colourful lighted boulevard. "Heeh… the five steps to becoming a monster huh? You noticed Gaara-chan's symptoms too?" Naruto asks with a devilish grin, bringing the lantern to the direction of the brooding Kazekage. The dark brown haired Hokage grandson darts his head to face his big brother who happily confided his own resolution to Sabaku No's ridiculously dense concentration.

"You know?" Konohamaru asks.

"Yep. For some time now. I noticed ever since he got here. It was just a guess but… after some time it was pretty obvious." The blonde answers, glancing at the redhead meekly.

"What level do you reckon is he currently in?" Sarutobi questions curiously.

"Step three." Naruto smirks smugly.

"Psh… Yeah right." Konohamaru dismisses, not believing such a ridiculous conclusion.

"There is no way Gaara would get to level 3. He has no reason to be jealous around people when it comes to Sakura." Konohamaru knowingly defends, crossing his arms.

"Haha! That's when you're wrong. The red head has been jealous before… " Naruto smirks.

"Wanna bet on it? I'll prove to you that he gets jealous easily. If I win, you'll have to treat all of us with Special Ramen from The Ramen Ichiraku Seasonal Stall, when we get to the park." Uzumaki watches as the young Sarutobi stutters in disbelief from such a painful consequence.

"T-that's too much! Are you serious?" Konohamaru looks at Uzumaki in disbelief.

"Hmm? Do you already doubt yourself? I didn't think you'd turn down a bet so easily Maru-maru-chan~ Or are you still too much of a kid to play with the big boys?" Naruto says with a teasing note, bringing his hand next to his mouth like he is telling it to someone else. He looks at the teenager like he is taunting a small child.

"W-what are you saying? Of course I can bet on it!" The dark brown haired teenager defends, bringing his arms to cross above his chest, looking away so as not to show his insecurity.

"Alrighty then! Bet it is!" The blonde reacts incredulously; he then waves at the mother and son to come their way; much to the dismay of Sarutobi and the irritation of the red head. As Sakura waves back and quickly walks to Naruto and Konohamaru's direction, Gaara is throwing daggers at the blonde with his glare, holding his mother's hand as he follows.

"You look so handsome with your yukata!" Haruno compliments, fixing Konohamaru's collar happily.

"Thank you Sakura-nee-cha-er... erm..." Sarutobi voice falters, seeing a menacing aura behind her pink haired big sister. Realizing that Sabaku No does not like how his mother just complimented him, he diverts the attention of the redhead and Sakura from himself: "Not as good looking as Gaara though, ehehehe…" He says nervously. "Where's Temari-nee-chan?" Konohamaru adds.

"Oh, she told me she wants to survey the Konoha border before coming here. She'll catch up soon." Haruno informs them, pulling Hinata from behind her with the help of Ino. "Come on now Hina-chan, don't be so nervous!" Yamanaka instructs her opal-eyed colleague who is stubbornly keeping her hands on Sakura's shoulders, hiding her figure from the boys.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto calls out, making the pale young woman even more nervous, shivering as she tries to hide her face.

"H-hello, N-aruto-kun.." Hyūga faintly responses, choosing only to show her frightened eyes for a second. Ino rolls her eyes, before giving the long raven haired beauty a harmless chop on her outstretched arms so that she would let Sakura go. Quickly, the long haired blonde pulls Hyūga to the side so as to reveal herself to the boys; much to the dismay of Hinata. Neji's cousin then starts to blush out of control. But her tears are prevented by hearing Uzumaki and Sarutobi's positively amused reactions, complimenting her outfit.

"Plum flower prints look great on you.. Hinata-chan." The blonde young man tells his girlfriend without a playful voice, telling her that he is truly appreciative. After hearing such an overwhelming response, it is not surprising that Hyūga faints right there. Luckily Naruto reaches her before she touches the ground. "Haah~, the festival is still beginning and my girlfriend is already so reckless~" Uzumaki resumes to his playful tone, picking Hinata up and hanging her gently on his shoulders. "You call that reckless?!" Konohamaru loudly reacts.

'_**Girlfriend?' **_Gaara repeats loudly in his thoughts, slowly smiling menacingly ear to ear. It is like his inner demon just got out for a moment to dance from knowing the fact that the blonde monkey actually has a girlfriend. Sure, he is a bit surprised that a girl would actually like the annoying guy, but knowing that Naruto is currently in a relationship would mean that his mother would be off limits.

Noticing the kazekage's pleased grin, Konohamaru informs his big brother in a low voice: "Looks like you're right. Gaara _might _have been jealous of you. But since you just announced that you and Hina-nee are going out, I don't think he would be reacting like you want to, when you try to make him publicly reveal himself as level three for the win to be official. Too bad for you." Sarutobi points out.

"Ha ha, that's when you're wrong. I'll prove to you that he's in level three without my influence." He tells the boy without breaking his smile. "Well now, shall we go then? We have to go to the park with the rest as soon as possible if we want to participate in the Kappu Kake Marathon." Naruto reminds, winking at Sarutobi, already showing off how easily he carries Hinata without much trouble.

'_**Oh, so that's the plan.'**_ Konohamaru nods slowly, finding that it truly is a well thought out plan. Predictably, Gaara asks Sarutobi what this activity is all about: "What is… Kappu Kake?" The Kazekage questions. But before the dark brown haired teen was about to answer, the blonde man taps the red head's shoulder to get his attention.

"Before we tell you, let's gather up the others and get to the park." Naruto encourages slyly.

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* * *

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KONOHA: Friday/ Sakura Viewing Festival/**Kodai no Hanaki kōen (Ancient Flower Tree Park)/Dragon Zakura Track and Field/4:30 PM**

The vast park is even more populated than the boulevards; enthusiastic people gathering to the side of a wide oval, where he stands in. He feels like he is on the centre of a stadium than a flat plain grassy land. With his piercing green eyes, he surveys the field. In the open oval, groups have formed to participate in the competition, tying specific coloured bands on their foreheads and doing preparatory exercises. Gaara feels tense, wondering what exactly he is going to be doing with a bunch of people with spectators involved and a loud announcer informing the masses with a portable speaker.

It is unfortunate that the speaker being used is too old to form a clear sound of explanation. He does not understand a single thing that the man is saying on the makeshift wooden stage that is close by. He looks at Konohamaru who is tying the same piece of coloured cloth around his head, but the now younger boy seems to be purposely avoiding him. Not wanting to explain what they are about to do for the redhead. However, after jabbing the boy on the side with a sharp shoulder, Sarutobi obliges with a sigh; giving the Kazekage a lecture on his behaviour before explaining what he dreads not to reveal.

"The Kappuru kakeochi marason, or Kappu Kake in short, is a Cherry Blossom Festival Tradition involving teams who compete in finishing the oval while carrying one of their team mates. This act is based on the legend of a Feudal Lord's daughter and a farmer's son who decided to elope. In doing so, the farmer's son had to carry the Feudal Lord's daughter as they ran, because the lady could not run too fast since at that time, she was wearing a heavy Kimono and high sandals. The farmer's son had to run faster than the horses of the feudal lord." Sarutobi wheezes a bit, having finished a long explanation.

"Um… okay… how is that story connected to what we are about to do?" Gaara asks, worried to find that Sakura is in a different team than they are.

"We're supposed to depict the legend by doing what the farmer boy did. By carrying a girl and completing the race. Whoever finishes the oval first, wins." Konohamaru explains further.

"And I'm the girl that you will be carrying! So take care of me okay? Gaara-chaan~" Ino interrupts with a light flirtatious laugh, hanging herself on both of the boys shoulders.

He let out a sigh. Sakura may be the girl who will be carried in this game, but at least Naruto will be the one carrying her. The red head could tell, since Uzumaki is already by his mother's side at the starting line, ready to pick her up as soon as the loud signal is given. He knows that there is only one way to carry someone with delicate kimono. The clothing will tear, and it will be an awkward embarrassing run if they do not use bridal style to carry the girl. The key of the game is to play with rapid strides yet formidable grace. If it is another guy carrying her mother, he would be more agitated.

"Hey! I'm going to be carrying you too!" Kiba complains, crossing his arms and giving a pout.

"I know that Kiba! But the little Kazekage will get distracted easily!" The long haired blonde explains loudly, putting her arms on her waist, letting the blue fiery sleeves of her hot red kimono rest coolly on her hips.

"Why do you call the boy Gaara-chan, and only call me Kiba?" Inuzuka jealously points out, escalating the conversation into a fight. "Ah come on! Don't be so stingy!" His girlfriend retaliates.

Gaara's eyes constrict, having heard quite confusing words from the boyfriend and girlfriend bickering behind him. His turns to Konohamaru to ask: "What… what are the rest of the team supposed to do?"

**But it is too late. They hear a loud trembling sound of pounded brass echoing the field.**

Gaara's mind becomes even more rampant, seeing that everyone started to move before he can elaborate on what exactly is going on. For some reason, he is left at the starting point while the others ran to parts of the oval where their colour is designated. He didn't even have a second to detect if Sarutobi is indicating anything to be worried about before his former classmate left to go to what appears to be the last hurdle. His other team mate who is nearer to catch any attention is Kiba-sensei, who is already too focused to give him a second glance. Only nagging Ino-nee-san is left to be on his side.

Let's face it. The only girl that Gaara could directly talk to, without looking irritated, is Sakura. And sometimes with his sister Temari. He doesn't want to seem rude to other women, when he doesn't have to be. But being rude is the least of his troubles. **The second signal resounds, telling them that the game has finally started.** Out of nowhere, the blonde woman flings herself to his arms and started pounding him to get moving. "Come on Gaara-dear, start running!" Ino shouts, fisting him on the shoulder.

"Huh? Wha…" He could only mutter, losing a little bit of his balance as he tries to carry her and continue to stand. He notices that the others started running. Including Naruto who is currently carrying Sakura towards his fellow team mate named Lee, who is doing sprint exercises as he awaits the two from his point. Gaara wonders what they are supposed to do, but he is not given the time to get it through his head with Yamanaka screaming closely on his ear to get him to move. Looking at Kiba-Aniki waving at him, he finally understands what he has to do.

One way or another, Sakura is moving at a fast rate; leaving him at the start. He should start catching up to them, and see what else is this ridiculous game going to be. And so he runs, as he is told to do.

He runs faster and faster. Until he is able to reach Naruto's pace, eyeing the two as they continue to move, reducing Ino's authoritative coaxing into wild cheering and competitive bashing towards the teams beside them. Although he appears to be doing a good deed, only a few steps to reaching Inuzuka, he notices something fatal to this seemingly meaningless task to carrying a woman. He sees Naruto spreading his arms slowly, like he is about to give his mother away. And then he sees the fish-eyed weirdo reaching up to them as well. Rock Lee's is face looking like he is about to bite on a juicy steak.

Right then and there. His small focus to keeping his arms up, is gone. Like a sack of potatoes, he tosses Ino to Kiba, assuming that the sensei is close enough to catch the girl without problem.

"Kyaa!" Yamanaka shrieks, bringing her hands close to her mouth, like she is about to fall from a cliff.

"Ino!" Kiba reacts as the red head thought he would. With one swift jump, Inuzuka dives to the ground that his blue-eyed girlfriend was about to fall into.

Just when the blonde thought her butt was about to feel the hard ground, she instead feels the back of a very sore looking young man who openly sighs in relief of keeping her safe and bruise-free.

"See? You don't need anyone else to take care of you." The young man with red marks under his eyes grins happily, pleased to find himself as his girl's only hero.

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Ino compliments.

"Now… could you get off me?..You're a little heavy..." Kiba complains.

"What did you say?" Ino retorts, standing up and stepping on the man's head before leaving him to suffer.

In an instant, Gaara arrived at the point where Lee's fingers were mere inches to taking Sakura off of Naruto's hands. But like the wind, the Kazekage takes the pink haired woman without batting an eye.

"What the…" Konohamaru could only gawk in disbelief. Naruto on the other hand, hides his knowing grin, watching as the young Kazekage makes this peculiar development even more shocking.

"G-gaara-bear! What are doing?" Sakura asks, trying not to fall as her son is handling her quite rashly.

"Yeah future son-in-law! I was about to carry Mother to the other side. Now give her here or else we will lose the game!" Lee states seriously, until blood started dripping from his nose.

'_**Son-in-Law? Who gave this fish head that idea?' **_The Kazekage shouts from his head, his eyes looking quite murderous. At first, the boy looks like he is about to bite the guy's head off; or at least, depict what happened again years ago, back when he fractured Rock Lee's leg into pieces. But then he realizes that this person is but an innocent fool who is just as infatuated as any man to his mother. He might as well give this creep a chance in life. Keeping his hands on his mother, he swiftly kicks the unknowing raven haired martial artist on the head; making the guy unconscious instantly.

Having temporarily made Lee lifeless, he looks at his mother like he is about to lecture to a child, as he explains to her his actions: "What do you think I am doing? I'm winning the game."

"B-but you're in the other team! We're going to b-" Sakura is cut off. "I don't want anyone touching you mom. So just leave it to me, Okay?" Gaara reasons, before going back to running the marathon.

"B-but that's!" Haruno does not bother to continue with the conversation, trying to avoid biting her tongue as he sprints already half-way to finishing the oval.

As he rushes through the competition, the Kazekage attempts to eliminate some of the competition by tripping those couple who are next to them. His mother could not protest as he 'accidentally' bumps on the guy on the left side, making him lose his balance. And then he 'unknowingly' stretches his leg to the right to make the other man fall to his knees. Luckily though, none of them were hurt. Blazing through the oval, only four teams are left. They were two unknown teams, Kakashi-sensei's team, and then him and Sakura. The path is clear, and there is nothing stopping their way.

"Oi oi oi! What are you doing? You're not in our team!" Chōji shouts, waving at Gaara to go to his direction. But when they reach Akamichi, the Kazekage instead pushes him to the side.

"Move it tubby." The red head warns, as he proceeds to running with the girl that is supposed to be given twice already.

"What did you just call me?!" The heavy looking man shouts with his nose flaring. But it is already too late for Chōji to react, because the boy is already too far for him to catch up.

"Gaara-honey, you should stop." Sakura says as she clings to him. "No I won't. I'm not going to allow any of these guys to call me 'son-in-law'. Ever." The Kazekage tells without looking at her, keeping his focus on the task at hand. Seeing as her son is so determined, she laughs lightly in his arms as she obliges to his decision. "You're such a stubborn son, you know that?" She comments lastly, before returning back to the game.

Almost to the finish line, there is only one hurdle left that Guy-sensei is supposed to handle. Kakashi's team, which currently comprises Neji as Farmer's son and Hinata as the Feudal Lord's daughter, is two borders away from them. Moving out of one's border would apparently be a fault. There was no way for the red head to sabotage their pace. He needs to rely on his speed this time; and hopefully, Might Guy Sensei won't be such a bother in getting this marathon over with. Seeing the coconut head waving at them recklessly, just make the red head even more determined.

"You scoundrel! Let go of my pretty wife or else you are going to regret it!" Gai-sensei shouts as he awaits them, raising his fist.

"Not a chance, weirdo." The Kazekage proclaims, giving his heel a kick as he performs a well-done high kick. Before Maito Guy was able to commend a perfectly executed kick, his face is plastered into the ground, leaving only the white of the teacher's eyes to reflect such a blundering force.

Continuing with the race, Gaara's last enemy could only raise a thumbs-up to show that he is okay and that he approves the intruder's attempt in completely ridding him unconscious. "Perfect leg to feet execution… A+!" Guy comments, with drool coming out of his grinning mouth.

**The third signal resonates all throughout the oval, making the people in the bleachers stand from such a spectacular entertainment. The winner has been decided, and the game is now over.**

"You can bring me down now honey." Sakura advises him, patting the boy on the head.

"Oh… right." He says in between gasps, trying to calm his heart down. Lowering the pink haired woman slowly, making sure that she gets her footing, he eases himself from such a strenuous stance by bending his back with the support of his hands on his waist as he takes in gulps of cool air. At first, the blue yukata that he is wearing didn't bother him as much, but since he ran for a long time, he feels rather hot wearing layers and thick cotton. "Haaah…" He expels a loud sigh, satisfied in knowing that nobody touched his mother in way that would make him uncomfortable or worried.

"You did great, dear." His mother compliments, leaning to wipe the beads of sweat from the boy's forehead with her sleeve. "But you shouldn't push yourself too hard!" She says, tapping his cheek lightly as she fusses over how worn out he looks. "There's nothing wrong with these guys handling me, I know them for quite some time. And it's not like I can't defend myself." Sakura assures playfully.

"I know that Mom… it's just that.." Gaara explains himself, scratching his head in an irritated manner as he attempts to explain what he thinks: "You might get a crush with one of those idiotic morons if I let you go with anyone else." He tells her with a muttering tone, hoping the others didn't hear. With a very amused laugh Sakura pinches the Kazekage's cheek. "Ow! That hurts!" The red head whines.

.

* * *

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KONOHA: Friday/ Kodai no Hanaki kōen (Ancient Flower Tree Park)**/Silver Petal Garden/6:00 PM**

"No way… step three, Werewolf? I admit that Gaara's a bit off when it comes to reacting in normal situations back at school… but that's too far off!" Konohamaru reacts to this new idea in quiet frustration, making a soundless scream while rolling around a carpet of grass in grief of his loss to the bet that he had agreed upon with Naruto a little while ago. "He runs the whole field while purposely running over the other teams; he didn't pass Sakura-nee-san to anyone else. And all the while, he looked so cool while he was carrying her and beating up the competition at the same time!"

In the end, it was Neji and Hinata Hyūga who won the Kappuru kakeochi marason as part of Kakashi sensei's team. Although Gaara arrived at the finish line first, the Kazekage was instantly disqualified when he took the Feudal Lord's daughter of another team when he is the Farmer's son of a different team. He was supposed to carry Ino until he reaches Kiba properly, but instead he aimed for completing the rest of the oval all on his own. The boy clearly wasn't thinking about team effort, or unity. Therefore, it was not surprising that he was not qualified.

Although Konohamaru lost the bet, he didn't have to treat everyone with Old Man Teuchi's Special Ramen. Since Kakashi's team won, much to Gai-sensei's dismay, they have been awarded a gift certificate courtesy by Ramen Ichiraku who is the sponsor of the event. This meant that they could get ramen from Teuchi and Ayame's using the award that could last them the evening, even with Uzumaki's bottomless stomach. Still, the grandson of the former Hokage could not believe his loss, choosing to contemplate on the idea that Gaara is in Monster level three of Infatuation.

They arrive at the Silver Petal Garden where the food stalls are located nearby. Having ordered for twenty people, including Naruto's and Chouji's share with some extras for those who are yet to meet up with them, they decide to leisurely go around the garden to rest and take their time to enjoy the beautiful flowers that are falling gracefully, with the cool air and the warm feel of the earth beneath their feet. Naruto and Konohamaru however, are currently hiding with help of Barberry bushes, choosing to spy on Gaara and Sakura who are enjoying their free time under a tree close by.

Sarutobi stops rolling around the grass in despair to bring half of his torso up. Looking through the reddish leaves of their camouflage, he grits his teeth as he says, "That guy was obviously showing off by finishing the oval all on his own! Beating everyone who was coming his way, just to make sure that she keeps her attention for himself! Augh, how frustrating! It's worse than I thought!"

"I know right? But he is where he is. You'll just have to accept the fact that he's in a completely different level from you." The big brother taunts while tinkering with his paper lantern that he kept.

"W-who says I want to catch that sort of disease anyway? Liking a girl will just be a distraction as a ninja." Konohamaru defends childishly, purposely looking away.

"Teme, you really have a lot to learn. Having a crush will make you a powerful ninja! Liking a girl gives you inspiration and determination to improve yourself!" Naruto encourages. "Right Lee?"

"Definitely!" The comical fish eyed friend chimes in with energizing vigour and a 'right on!' punch. But then he pauses himself and portrays an ignorant grin. "What are we talking about?" Rock asks.

"Werewolf, huh… I thought he was still in Demon level two… hmph. It seems I have overestimated his progress." Neji chimes in coolly, folding arms out of habit when he gets disappointed at himself, accompanying the others as they observe Gaara who is thrashing the goldfish with his paper net that is soon to melt due to his projected frustration on the simple parlour game.

"Ehh? Our little Kazekage has a crush? Who's the lucky lady?" Kiba proclaims loudly with Chōji munching a handful of Mochi beside him.

"Sshh! Not too loud! He might hear you!" Konohamaru hisses, eyeing the Gaara who is still distracted with the little Koi fish that are in the pond that separates him and Sakura from where they are.

"There's only one girl other than his sister that he actually interacts with." Naruto suggests, so as helping Kiba answer his question on his own. And then the blond turns to a hooded guy for support to his claim. Someone who has been following them all along, but is just playing as a bystander so as to enjoy the festivities freely without standing out too much like they are.

"Yep. Yep." A man with purple ink designs simply answers like he is part of the whispering group for some time, a little distracted with the box of giant beetles he just purchased.

"What the… Kankuro-nii-san? When did you get here? Now that I think about it… What are ALL of you guys doing here?" Konohamaru reacts, jumping a little at this surprise realization.

"Eh? Noooo Waaay! Sakura-chan? She's the girl that the boy is in love with? Whoa! That's like… well… it's kinda weird… but yeah. Whoa!" Kiba reacts loudly yet again, bringing his hands on the sides of his head. Looking like he is about to lose his mind, knowing what he now knows. Being such a deafening company, Neji clamps his fellow high school teacher so as not to get attention from the red head.

"You only realized that now? Are you that dense that you don't even bother to comprehend that the kid who we are talking about is just nearby?" Hyūga speaks with a hushed yet warning voice, keeping his opal eyes at the Kazekage who has yet to realize about their current conversation. "Now quiet down everyone, it appears that she's going to give the boy something." He informs, analyzing Sakura's movements as she stands to walk towards Gaara with an item on her hands.

"What? Seriously? Is it food?" Chōji responds, lowering himself to fit with the rest in the shrubbery that is getting too small for containing all of them at once.

The boys huddle closer to each other as they see what is about to happen. "We were still a bit noisy a few seconds ago. Not to mention that our shrub camouflages can't cover all of us successfully. Are you sure we haven't bothered them yet? They should have heard us by now. Especially Gaara." Kiba asks, knowing that Haruno and Sabaku No are not that dense to realize what they are doing. "Ahh… now that I think about it. They have been talking together for quite some time… They're distracted enough not to realize. I guess." Inuzuka continues, although he knows that such an excuse is rather weak.

"You're right. That idiot should have noticed by now. But he didn't. That's because… Gaara doesn't belong in this world anymore." Konohamaru widens the hole of the shrub that they are looking from, in attempt to making the image clear and real. "He's on the fourth level of infestation… Level Four: Ghost." He bitterly identifies. Exaggerated tears are now falling from the teenager's face; he hastily swipes them off with his arm as he forces himself to accept what is right before his very eyes. "The fool is a goner… he's at the point of no return… he got spirited away right in front of us!"

"Spirited away is completely different from being a ghost. To be a ghost is to be a part of the afterlife while to be spirited away is to-" Neji attempts to lecture.

"Who cares?" Sarutobi replies, cutting Hyūga off before he could finish his comparison. "The point is that he's gone! Lost forever!" The aspiring Hokage focuses back to the event that is unfolding, hoping that whatever will happen between the two will backfire; and that his former classmate will snap out of it. Although such a chance, would be rather impossible to come true.

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KONOHA: Friday/Kodai no Hanaki kōen (Ancient Flower Tree Park)/**Silver Petal Garden/At the other side of the pond/6:00 PM**

At the other end of the small fish pond, a tired looking young man with red hair lets his legs and arms rest by making his back comfortable on the trunk of the large Cherry blossom tree with light pink leaves. His body is finally calming down after such a long run. It still surprises him that he did not use his sand instead to get to the particular location. Admittedly, that would be cheating, but at least the game would have been over in a second. But somehow, he decides to make an effort in playing the game. Somehow, playing with everyone wasn't just because he had to, but he wanted to.

In the water, tubes of structured bamboo hit each other to play a soothing sound of falling water and resounding wood. His faint smile is slowly starting to show even more as he breathes in the sweet light smell of the blossoms above their head. He realizes that interacting with others other than his close family can be fun and non-provoking. He wonders why his old self does not seem to have lot of experiences when it comes to friendship for him to remember… perhaps it is because he developed relationships at a later age. It didn't matter now. Today is too pleasant to waste on such deep thought.

"This is nice…." He tells himself. He closes his eyes, choosing to spend this late afternoon to catch the last rays of the sun, and feel the nice cool wind that gently quivers the grass. His momentary meditation however, is disturbed by raining petals that glide playfully on his hair and face. They feel like drops of rain, refreshing to the skin. He opens one eye, having his other eye covered by one of the soft delicate flowers. He takes the flower that covers his vision gingerly with his hand, his eyes smiling as he brings it closer to the sun to observe the bloom in a more revealing way.

'_**Beautiful...'**_ He compliments, petting the Sakura's full petals lightly. The brightness of the colour reminds him of someone. Without uttering a word, he turns to where she sits leisurely; gazing at the back of the girl's head, he projects a light amused laugh before choosing to watch her quietly again. His stare is even more nostalgic as he follows her hair to the features of her face. Her long lashes look like the concentrated colour that the blossoms have, covering her alluring eyes that can make any man skip a beat. "So this is what they call Hanami." He reflects, pertaining not only to the flower he holds.

At the background of the flower that he focused his vision with, he notices a couple walking through a wooden bridge. They are holding hands, talking enthusiastically at each other until the girl decides to pause and stand on her toes in order to reach the top of her boyfriend's head. She places what appears to be a ring made out of White Sakura Flower petals on the boy's crown. After doing so, she adjusts it to a particular tilt before avidly complimenting how nice it looks to the man. In turn, the guy is blushing furiously, a little flustered and embarrassed. But he keeps the flowers on his head.

**And then he does the strangest behaviours that the Kazekage has ever seen.** The man calls out to her by name, even though she is right of here in front of him. Gaara is even more confused to find him touching the woman's hair, and then leaning closer to her, as if he saw something out of the ordinary on her face. The girl is looking a little nervous, but she doesn't move. In fact, she actually closes her eyes, making her vulnerable around that person. The guy stops combing her hair, only to touch her face; stroking the woman's cheek gently, before doing an act that the red head cannot comprehend.

With that, Gaara immediately stands from his location, to get a closer look. Thinking that the girl might be in danger, he summons a handful of sand to his fist. He is about to get down from the hill to where the couple is, with just one single step. But then he hesitates, restraining himself; noticing that the woman is not frantically trying to move away from the individual. Instead, she just stands there, waiting for him to finish. Or are they doing it together? He doesn't really know. But seeing as she doesn't look hurt or bleeding in any way, he decides to wait for them to finish whatever they are doing.

To the kazekage's belief, it only lasts for ten seconds. When they were done, they separate from each other into a respectable distance; but still close enough to hold hands. They look at each other in a weird way that Gaara cannot describe. The guy then tells his girlfriend, "Thank you". Most likely he thanked her for the ring of flowers she gave him. Because the woman did not do anything other than that particular gesture; unless standing there the whole time, requires gratitude. They then look away, to continue with their sightseeing; pretending that, the actions they have done did not happen at all.

It is such an odd thing to do. That the red head is left flabbergasted. He scratches his head, still a bit unnerved from witnessing such a feat. However, fate does not give him time to recover.

"Gaara-bear~ Look! I finished it!" Sakura happily states, standing from her location to go towards him.

The Kazekage smiles back at her, seeing that she is truly enthusiastic with whatever he wants him to pay attention with. But his smile soon disappears when he sees what she is carrying in her hands.

A crown made out of the bright pink flowers that drape above them.

"Pretty right?" She tells him, hoping to get a pleased expression. But he can only give her an awkward nod in order to give an immediate response, so as not to stir concern. He looks a little nervous, but not at all in a panic. With a good long sigh, he tries to reply in a more proper manner: "Yes, its… um… cute…" He says with a perfect grin, his eyes barely showing as he tells her. The red head then attempts to meet her halfway, keeping his footing as normal as he could as he contemplates on the situation that he is currently in. Reaching her, he organizes his thoughts as Sakura attempts to adjust the crown.

'_**Calm down… this is just one of those odd customs that they do in this village. It's not something difficult to follow.' **_He tells himself, gaining his confidence. Seeing as he is not as nervous as before, he looks down at her to acknowledge her properly. Gaara finds the woman struggling in reaching the top of his head, even though she is already wearing high wooden sandals.

"Oh my. You're so tall now that I can't even reach your head anymore." She says, laughing heartily as the red head lowers his head for her, giving a bashful smirk as he did.

While Sakura is fixing the ring of cherry blossoms on his head, talking about how she has been making flower crowns ever since she was a child. He is now beginning to understand why the man that he saw was taking this practice sincerely. Feeling her fingers fiddle with his matte locks, her small hands patting his head in a soothing manner. He watches the fascinating girl contentedly, tracing her laugh lines and admiring her adorable dimple as she fluffs his hair after fixing the string of sakura to sit loosely on him. "There we go… finished! The colour matches well with your hair." She tells him.

'_**She is taking this quite seriously; I have to make an effort as well.' **_And so he does, getting her attention, by bringing out the one full blossom that he has in his hand; and then, attempting to tuck the flower's branch behind her ear. "This will look great on you too." He says, lowering himself further to reach that particular side of her head. Assuring that the complimentary accessory does not fall, he reaches out for her bang that is mildly standing out, smoothing the lock to curl and rest neatly by her shoulder.

"How lovely, thank you..." Sakura notices that something is different about him. It is as if, he is looking at her at a different light. The way he caresses her, his long fingers moving from her cheek to her chin; tilting her face to look at his eyes that look older than usual. "Ga... Gaara-kun?" She asks her voice a little faint, clearly unsure of herself. For a split second, Sakura thought she saw that familiar person from the past. He chooses not to respond. Resting his forehead unto hers, the kazekage closes their gap by bringing his free hand on her back, and then gently pulling her towards him.

She is looking at him directly now, wondering what else he is going to do, that is out of the ordinary. Gaara himself wonders as well. Although he had to improvise to get to the steps that he had observed, his own added actions enhanced the situation, without him even realizing. But now that he has come to this, he is yet to decipher the last part of the process. He searches for an answer by looking at her eyes, waiting for a clue. _**'How did that guy do it? It was like a kiss… but it was... on the…' **_He lowers his gaze from her pupils, to her nose, and then her lips that look like petals glistened by soft rain.

Following his instinct, he adjusts his features slightly in order to bring her nearer. Slowly, he closes his eyes; their noses touching. And then... He kisses her.

The moment Gaara touched her, the world stopped for him. His body feels numb to his surroundings, his senses driven by overwhelming emotions that quell like a flood. He experiences a cold shiver that runs through his spine, but that surprising sensation is slowly replaced by warmth that is starting to well from his chest. Everything is familiar and unfamiliar at the same time; he doesn't know what to do. And just to make sure that he is not dreaming, currently living in reality and is of sound in mind, he opens his eyes to keep himself sane. There she is, staring back at him, surprised by his actions.

And like the sunset that is radiating like ember on the background, imploring the contours of her face and her beautiful eyes, the moment ends in a short tranquil note.

Just as he had deliberated earlier, it only lasted for ten seconds. But for him, it lasted longer than that. It felt like forever; and yet, it was so brief that you should only describe it as a moment. But no. It was immeasurable. It was timeless. It was like he drifted to another world with her. Sharing a moment that only both of them, could understand.

'_**What... what was that...?' **_He questions, releasing his hold on her hesitantly, by loosening his fingers from her face; and then, bringing his hand that held her waist back to his side. As he did, he steals a glance at her lips that touched his, before choosing to stiffly contemplate on what he committed. It was strange. It was different. It was something he could not comprehend. _**'That was... a kiss...?'**_

"G-Gaara… why did you…?" Sakura looks at him with curiosity, her cheeks blushing mildly; concerned for the young man who is standing motionless like a statue.

"Ah, erm…" He stalls. Hearing her voice awakens him from his deep thought. Quickly he recalls what should be the last thing that he is supposed to do, after kissing her. "Thank you…" He says, controlling his voice as much as possible, so as not to sound disoriented. In order for her not to pay attention to the fact that he is still a little disoriented, he takes her hands, to keep her eyes on him.

"Thank you? For what?" She looks at him in a puzzled manner, when she notices that the crown that she gave to him is about to fall. Fixing the ring of flowers, she realizes that what she gave to him may require gratitude in the Kazekage's eyes. Therefore, he said thank you. And although the kiss may be a bit unusual, the red head might have done such affection as a way of saying 'thank you' for the crown made out cherry blossoms that she made. Having assumed that conclusion, Sakura smiles back at him confidently, her feeling of self-consciousness is reverting back to knowing and familiarity.

"You mean… you're thanking me for the Hana no kanmuri that I gave you right?" She identifies, laughing lightly as she fixes the crown of flowers on top of his head.

"Ah… yeah…" Gaara answers timidly. Still a little numb about what happened.

"Well then, You're. Wel. Come.~" She playfully replies, flicking the boy's forehead gently with her fingers as she said it. "But you know, you didn't have to kiss me like that. You should be saving that kind of kiss for your girlfriend!" Sakura instructs with a giggle, pinching his cheeks out of giddiness. "Seriously… what exactly have Kankuro been teaching you? Or Naruto for the matter? Then again, it's not like they ever kissed a girl." She jokingly points out. "Maybe you have been watching too many movies with me and Temari?" Sakura reflects as she fusses over the collar of his Yukata.

By talking about their friends, who were added on the topic, she recalls that both of them should be leaving by now before they are going to be late. "That reminds me… we should meet up with the others soon or else we're going to miss the fireworks display. Let's get going." She tells him, fixing his thick red hair to stay neatly on one side; and then tapping his shoulder, before proceeding to walk down the hilltop, assuming that he will be quietly following from behind. However, just a few steps away, she pauses. Sakura turns around, twirling if you will, with her arms neatly folded behind her and her hair darting to one side as she faces him.

"That kind of kiss… should be meant for someone who you are in love with. Remember that, okay?" The pink haired kunoichi says with a playful wink, her pretty face is brightened, by the lights bursting above them.

Colourful exploding lights reflect his stunned eyes, unblinking as he silently watches her walk away. The fireworks are shooting up into the sky, and as they do, he feels like he is experiencing an important revelation. But, he has no idea what could this be. The loud noises and bright dazzling lights is not something to be too overwhelmed about. And yet, he wonders why he is unconsciously and uncontrollably shivering.

And then he realizes that he has stopped breathing for quite some time, and so his body is reacting mildly from the lack of oxygen. With one big coughing wheeze, he permits himself to breathe again. Almost choking himself to death is not the only anomaly that is going on with his body. The reason why he is currently not following her is because he could not lift his legs. His lower extremities are weak, to the point that he could fall to his knees anytime. With a shudder, he brings his hand to rest on his chest, trying to calm himself down. For as soon as his lungs were able to recover, his heart is now stabbing him with an unrecognizable pain.

'_**Wh... what's happening to me...?' **_He could hear his blood rushing, being pumped in a strong abnormal manner. His pain in his chest feels like longing and excitement at the same time. Though he has substantial high tolerance to pain, it is a hurt that affects him, stabbing that could not be comprehended by a thousand needles. Overwhelming as it is however, he does not dislike this sort of torture. In fact, he finds it to be pleasant. Looking at the woman's pink hair that is being combed by the cool refreshing breeze and sweet smelling flowers; his answer comes to him like the stars that are growing in numbers above the dimming evening skies.

Noticing that he wasn't following her, she returns to retrieve him, asking why he is just standing in a daze as she goes toward him. By looking directly at her face, his assumption is made clear. And then when she reaches out to him, taking his hand unto her own like she usually does, he could sense that touching her feels so much different than before. Everything that is happening to him, that he is going through, is a lot more potent than before. His breathing quickened, his heart is beating fast, and his ears cannot dispel the clamouring of jubilation that is both inside and outside. As his symptoms disperse, he finds himself smiling oddly.

Why is he feeling so happy suddenly? He knows why. He just doesn't want to spell it clearly for himself. Choosing to stay in this state of wonder and amazement, of finally knowing what he is experiencing.

**Love. A different kind of love.** A love that he is yet to, or never will, completely understand. It feels so unfamiliar, but so fascinating to find; that he is beginning to love her more, than what he had previously perceived.

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KONOHA: Friday/Kodai no Hanaki kōen (Ancient Flower Tree Park)/**Silver Petal Garden/By the Barberry Bushes/6:30 PM**

Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, the boys who are hiding behind the bushes are acting out incredulously to what they have seen. Amidst the noise that the group are making, Konohamaru and Naruto reflect on what they have just witnessed in a quiet and somewhat numb manner; choosing to continuously stare at Sakura and Gaara who are running down the hill to meet up with them soon. They watch on as the red head smiles in a way that they have never seen before, listening as Haruno laugh easily without the need of jokes or crazy antics while holding the young man's hand like it was just natural to do so.

They look so different now, so unlike themselves. Imprinted together, to be continuously phenomenal.

"That was level five: Vampire; the last level. Wasn't it?" Konohamaru points out flatly, still staring at the enthusiastic couple's shadows that are highlighted by the bursting lights and the growing starry moonlit night.

"Yep. That was the last level of infatuation. Last infestation to having a crush…" Naruto chuckles, consoling the teenager by patting him softly on the shoulder, knowing that the Hokage's grandson is finally getting over the fact that he lost the bet. However, the dark brown haired young man does not present a downfallen face for that mere reason only.

He looks on at Sakura and Gaara with frustration, understanding that there is more than meets the eye.

"But, you and I both know... that they're way above that now." The blonde young man answers for Sarutobi wisely, before choosing to watch over the Kazekage and the pink haired kunoichi once again.

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**Gaara's Current Age: 16 Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment: Four Months and five days**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura no Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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	17. His first Rival

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Disclaimer: Yes. Yes I do not own Naruto alright? I mean seriously, get me out of here, how long are you people going to keep interrogating me? I own nothing!

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"**His First Rival"**

**(Cherry Blossom Festival - Part Two)**

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**Gaara's Current Age: 16 Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment: Four Months and five days**

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**THE LAND OF FIRE - KONOHA: Friday/ Sakura Viewing Festival/Kodai no Hanaki kōen (Ancient Flower Tree Park)/Silver Petal Garden/By the Barberry Bushes/6:30 PM**

There are many colours being painted in the night sky. Hues of red, blue, green, yellow and white radiate over the glowing leaves of Sakura. Before the starry canvas, the people enthusiastically gaze at the sinking balls of sparks that slowly deteriorate. The lights continue to lively brighten the trees, the stalls, the boulevards. And yet, the moon is still prominent, gracefully hanging in the darkness. The white sphere's paleness radiates beautifully, contently watching the celebration of man. For some reason, the moonlight decides to shine over a particular couple holding hands; the man and the woman who are just entrancing, as the colours above.

"He did it! Haha!" Kiba Inuzuka proclaims in a celebratory note, participating with Naruto Uzumaki in a high five.

"He did it… I can't believe it…" Neji Hyūga reacts in a more miserable tone, bringing his fingers on the side of his head to ease his growing migraine.

"Aaaarrgh! That brat! How dare he make such a move, when I have never even reached that level! I'll kill him! Let me go! Get your hands off me! I'm gonna wring that kid's neck! Graaaah!" Rock Lee shouts loudly, reacting with what they have just witnessed in a reckless manner; seeing as the fireworks are already making a lot of noise. Fortunately, Chōji Akamichi is holding him off, keeping the young man from attacking the pair who have made their way back to the direction of the bursting lights.

"C-calm down, Lee-kun!" Chōji advises the fish eyed Chūnin.

"I won't accept this! I'll turn that boy's red hair into white!" Lee threatens.

"Sniff, Sniff… My little brother finally touching a girl in an awkward way… I'm so proud… and jealous at the same time! Sniff, Sniff!" Kankuro No Sabaku adds in the crazy conversation, wiping some of his tears.

"Dude… are you crying?" Kiba asks the emotional hooded person.

"No, I'm not. I just got something on my eye…" Kankuro replies, pretending to get something out of his eye.

Noticing their former students huddled around the bushes, Mighty Gai and Kakashi Hatake look at each other before revealing their presence to them.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" The silver haired teacher asks the younger men, surprising the boys in return.

"You kids better not be peeping around without me!" Gai scolds, before pushing them aside to recklessly see whatever they were looking at. Fortunately, Gaara and Sakura already left.

Realizing that the former Hokage's grandson did not utter a word for a while, Naruto finds Konohamaru sitting with his arms crossed. Sarutobi looks so serious, thinking deeply for quite some time. "Oi, are you okay?" Uzumaki asks the boy who in turn, stands abruptly, and then proceeds to walk away from the group with his hands on his pockets.

"That's it! I can't take it anymore! First, it was Nara-kun; and then, Kiba-kun; Udon; and even YOU! What kind of crazy world am I living in? Why does EVERYONE have a girl except for me?" Konohamaru questions Naruto Uzumaki who could only reply with a shrug and a grin. "This is just INSANE! Why are men being wooed by women so easily? Arrrrgh!" Sarutobi continues to rant as he continues to leave them behind.

"Where are you going?" The blonde asks, seeing as the boy with goggles has separated himself from them with a good amount of distance. But Konohamaru does not reply. "So… What are you going to do?" Naruto revises, realizing that his previous question was not the right one for the kid.

The dark brown haired teenager turns around to confront his big brother, looking at the blue eyed young man with a determined and serious face. "I'm going to look for a girl. And make her my girlfriend." Konohamaru replies to Uzumaki, a hint of blush showing on his cheeks. Sarutobi then resumes to his goal, moving as fast as he can in order to make his statement reality.

Naruto, in turn, shakes his head and laughs from hearing the former Hokage's son make such a resolution. "Good luck with that!" The blonde tells his younger brother.

Sarutobi does not bother to pause again, walking on with his thumb up in the air, in confidence.

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KONOHA: Friday/ Sakura Viewing Festival/** Sakura ōdōri (Cherry Blossom Boulevard)/7:00 PM**

Meanwhile, close to the entrance of the occasion, a young man hangs himself briefly on one of the decorated pillars in order to catch a breath before continuing to his conquest of running to the destination entrusted upon him. With recklessness, the young man with a tight short ponytail noisily makes his way with wooden sandals and navy blue cotton Yukata that breathes easily than Chūnin armour. Although he finds his clothing comfortable since he wears such casual clothing almost every day; no matter how loose and relaxing his garments may be, he still persists to look like a stressed young man who is late for a prior arrangement.

He then hears another round of exploding lights; he looks up at the dark night sky with his coal black pupils with mild frustration, regretting that he was slacking on a bed of grass a few hours ago.

"Damn… was that the last batch of fireworks? I'm super late. I'll get an earful from the boys when I get there…" Shikamaru Nara mutters to himself, irritated by a stray of hair that is now blocking his vision. He sighs, disappointed at his own disgruntled form for running unnecessarily; only to find, that his reason for initiating a tiresome troublesome attempt to be on time, ceases to exist.

Unbeknownst to him, a girl is running blindly to his one side, unable to stop. "Watch out!" The young lady warns the lazy intellectual who is still frozen in his flustered stance. Having heard the warning late, Shikamaru sees a flash of blonde hair from the corner of his eye, before he gets toppled by the woman who tried to get him out of the way in order to avoid their now current situation.

"Ouch… you should watch where you are going, miss…" Nara comments while he regains his composure. Having able to stand, he bends slightly to reach out to the lady who is still on the ground.

"I am so sorry. I'm running a little late and I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't see you back there in all those people that I…" The unidentified woman explains herself with a light laugh, patting her clothes before she takes his gesture. But when she looks up to the young man, her apologetic smile turns into trembling lips. Her firm hold on his outstretched hand weakens. "Shii-chan?" She asks, somewhat out of breath.

Hearing her voice say his old pet name, that she used to call him teasingly, strikes a chord on Shikamaru's unwanted emotions. For a moment, he looks rather lost. But realizing that this situation is bound to happen sooner or later, he decides to react in a way that is calm and casual as possible without any unneeded openings. If he plays his cards right, he might just survive the night without needing to interact with her in a serious conversation that will lead to opening of wounds. "Temari…" Nara chooses to pronounce with an inviting and warm tone, gentle as he balances her with his hand until she chooses to separate from his hold.

Thankfully, she repels from him in mere seconds, even choosing to take a step back. "It's nice to see you again." He tells her, making his high cheeks more prominent as he feigns a modest grin.

It is taking her a while, a very long and excruciating while, before she is able to confirm his existence. As he awaits her reaction, he takes his time in making sure that she is okay from the fall.

Temari No Sabaku looks different tonight. Far, from what Shikamaru is used to. But it doesn't matter, since she has always been beautiful that way. Shikamaru finds it hard not to look at her from top to bottom. Although she does look rather faint, her features choose to hide that weakness with bold colours and dominant textures. Her blonde hair that is usually tied in two pigtails is elegantly bound into a bun that is accessorized by seasonal Kanzashi hair jewellery, inspired by the stars. She wears a refreshing flowing kimono, which entails a cool moonlight; with the ocean and the sand, as a complimenting background.

The Konoha Chūnin takes a sharp breath as he accepts the reality that he has to face. Right in front of him, is the woman he would rather avoid for the whole evening. It is like an ironic punishment by God.

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KONOHA: Friday/Sakura Viewing Festival/**Kodai no Hanaki kōen (Ancient Flower Tree Park)/7:30 PM**

The Hanami, is turning into Yozakura; the viewing of Sakura at night. The tension that surrounds star crossed lovers who chose to spend their time with each other at the occasion, intensifies with the cool air and dimmed enchanted surroundings. The rest of the festive celebrants have gathered in the wide open field to sit among friends and family, surrounded by the trees that continue to glow below the dark blue sky. As they wait for those who are yet to arrive, they have created bonfires, large and small. The streets and boulevards are also now enamoured by bright lit paper lanterns to guide the late guests to the location of dancing blossoms.

Only Konohamaru Sarutobi is not part of the group this evening, having chosen to endeavour in finding a girl. It is much to his benefit, and much to the relief of his older brothers.

"Shikamaru is running at a much later hour than usual." Neji informs, choosing to show some concern with his opal eyes, staring at the growing fire in front of him.

"Yeah well, just as long as he brings his share of Sake, I don't mind. If he's not pullin' a heavy keg on his way here, each of us are gonna beat 'im senseless!" Kiba suggests, looking demonic as ever.

"If you think you're going to drink that much tonight, you better think again. I'm not going to be carrying your sorry ass when we leave!" Ino Yamanaka lectures in front of Inuzuka, bringing her hands on her hips.

A bit distant from the group, a red headed young man and a pink haired young lady decided to enjoy the evening lounging beside the thick trunk of the cherry blossom tree that the rest of the group are also underneath in. Gaara rests his head loftily on Sakura's lap, comfortable at the situation he is in, even though he has other noisy company with him. His face is pristine and content. His eyes are closed, as he absentmindedly forms a mild grin that requires a second glance in order to confirm its existence. His mother combs his hair leisurely with her fingers from time to time as they continue to enjoy the festivities with the rest of the company.

"Um…" Chōji Akamichi mumbles, trying to disturb the peace without being rude in doing so. "Does anyone know where Lee is?" The young man with excess fat asks the group of men huddled together.

Just in time to answer the question, a wild looking raven haired man with fish-like eyes runs towards them while screaming at the top of his voice. Rock Lee's face is looking red as a tomato, obviously appearing to be more than flustered. He seems to have lost his wooden sandals and along the way, choosing to sprint around with his feet bare. He pauses at some point, to laugh uncontrollably. With a big mouth, he made his amused voice even louder, jerking his head that is messily wrapped with a Yukata ribbon. "Let's PAAAARRRTTTIEEEEYY!" Lee announces, waving an empty bottle to the masses that shout and hoot in return.

"Idiot." Hyūga Neji states, before he miserably hides his face with his palm as he endures the embarrassment of having this fish eyes nitwit as a friend.

"I'll get the rope." Kiba informs like it is normal to get restraints for his currently drunk ally.

.

* * *

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KONOHA: Friday**/ Sakura ōdōri (Cherry Blossom Boulevard)/The Akatsuki Dungeon/A Local Bar/ 8:00 PM**

The dungeon is looking livelier than its usually dismal lustre, bringing in customers from far and wide. Dark and mysterious, but for some reason inviting. The bartender, wiping glass to the point that it shines, is dressed in black robes that have red cloud prints. A woven bamboo hat rests on top of his head, covering his face that appears to be layered with orange porcelain. Without flinching, the man gestures on his new guests to sit in front of him. Passing a couple of tall celebrative sake to the two visitors who take it so casually that they could have been typical locals, who are enjoying the occasion like everyone else in the village.

"Hmmm…" Orochimaru glares at the bartender suspiciously as he takes the drink that is given to him. "You look very familiar…" The raven haired man with pale skin points out to the guy at the other side of the bar table.

"Oh well, I get that a lot." The bartender merely replies as he offers a plate of Mochi to his doubtful customer.

"You think everyone is familiar, Master." Kabuto Yakushi suggests to the sickly looking man beside him without a glance, clearly wanting to enjoy the Rice Wine before him.

"No, seriously, you look like someone I met before… someone I refuse to forget… Like someone… I despise." The villainous Sanin continues to insist, even leaning while holding his chin, investigating the bartender. And then, as if he invented lightning, the snake-like creature's eyes widen due to his realization. "Aha! Now I remember!" Orochimaru exclaims with a raised finger. "What's your name?" The man with bluish skin demands, to the man in black robes and cloud prints.

"My name is Toby." The bartender informs diligently as he assumes drying washed glass without even looking up to the man questioning him.

"Toby? Yes… That's right! You're Tobi! I knew your face look so familiar!" Orochimaru concludes, morphing his hands into snakes, ready to attack his enemy.

With a frustrated sigh, the spectacled young man restrains his master's actions by kicking the legs of Orochimaru's chair, making the dead looking person fall to the ground.

"Can you spell your name for us please?" Kabuto asks the bartender politely.

"T-O-B-Y. Toby." The man with black robes simply replies.

Having heard that, Kabuto then hit Orochimaru in the head as the pale man was getting back up from his disposition. "He said Toby with a Y, not with an I! He's not the Tobi that you're talking about. You wretched sensei, what's wrong with you? Let the person spell his name first before you make accusations! I swear everyone who wears black robes and cloud prints with an orange swirly mask are your arch enemies! Didn't it occur to you that we are in a festival? Or that the name of this bar is called AKATSUKI?" Kabuto scolds his master while grabbing the snake villain by the scruff of his collar, picking the man up from the floor.

And then the servant with glasses and blue hair dangles his master in front of 'Toby' like he was a lost pup, forcing Orochimaru to face the bartender. "Now say that you're sorry!" Yakushi demands.

As if being handled like a child is not enough embarrassment for the raven haired sulking Orochimaru, the snake-like creature crossed his arms and pouts while struggling to give an apology. "Hmph… I'm sorry. I should not have accused you for someone I know. I accept the fact that there are a lot of people who may have the same wardrobe as that sick jerk Tobi." The Sanin grudgingly says, avoiding the masked person's… one eye.

"It's all right. That's not a problem at all… although I do get that a lot." Toby then tells them, brushing off the accusation like it was nothing and happily accepting the odd apology.

"But that doesn't mean that I won't have my eye on you… Mr. Toby. If that is you're _real_ name." The slimy pale man persists, giving an 'I'm watching you' gesture with his long fingers before settling down.

The man with black robes and red cloud prints, with an orange mask of swirling design, simply nods as he continues with his glass polishing; paying no mind, to Orochimaru's suspiciousness.

Kabuto exhales a tired sigh, having travelled quite a long time from their previous location. Keeping his glasses on the front pocket of his floral themed shirt, he resumes enjoying his drink. "I can't believe it took us longer than I had calculated, even though I added your usual misfits to the days that it will take us to get here." He complains, glaring at the master eating mochi voraciously beside him.

"Bah, don't be such a killjoy whiner." Orochimaru persists with a passive wave of his hand, finding his servant to be quite a bother.

"Kill Joy… Whiner?" The young man with blue hair repeats, shaking his head in disbelief of what his master described him to be. "How can I not be… 'A killjoy whiner', when you made our travel close to unbearable?" Kabuto questions the Hokage murderer.

"Sure we had to run away from a group of angry villagers twice due to my perverted actions, and we got lost five times due to my lack of direction. But we arrived just in time!" The raven haired man explains confidently.

The blue haired servant could not help but cringe at recalling what they had to go through, his eye twitching from being so utterly irritated at his master. But instead of making another ruckus in public, he decides to just give up and plead for sanity. "I guess you're right. Now all we have to do is just to sit here and wait for the main character." Kabuto decides to conclude, not wanting to continue with the aggravating subject. "But why is it taking him so long?" Yakushi then decides to ask, changing the topic, and truly questioning why his fellow villainous underling has not yet arrived.

"You know my son; he was always the late bloomer." Orochimaru reasons with fondness, his voice nostalgic as he pretends to be lost in his memories of caring for his experiment of a son.

"Late bloomer… where are you getting all these stupid stereotypes?" Kabuto shakes his head in disbelief at how ridiculously awkward, and weird, his master could be.

.

* * *

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KONOHA: Friday**/ Sakura Viewing Festival/ Sakura ōdōri (Cherry Blossom Boulevard)/ 8:15 PM**

At first, they did not know what to do with each other.

Emotions stirring as they continue to stand stiffly, people pass by and lights wander, yet it has taken them a while to register that the person in front of them truly exists.

Only when a reckless kid pushes Shikamaru forward, did they break from their trance.

"I-it's nice to meet you again too, Shii-cha-… I mean… Shikamaru." The Suna Prime Minister finally replies, quite embarrassed that she almost called him that informal name once again. It is rather sad, but she has no right anymore to call him in any way that is affectionate. Even though 'Shii-chan' is a name that was more of a way to mildly annoy the man for her amusement. The name only brings back the past that they had.

"It is an honour, Prime Minister Temari." Shikamaru replies solemnly, like he is talking to someone he disappointed. Hearing himself greet her in a sad tone makes him recall however, that he should not be speaking in such a destitute manner. Quickly he recalls his laid back posture, keeping his eyes dreamy and non-anxious as he faces her. "How have you been? I heard you were in town." He suggests quite casually.

The blonde could not believe that he is going for the 'friendly' conversation route, but she pretends to not making much of a deal. For a brief second, she is looking at him like he threw a kunai on her back, but that gaze has disappeared to the point that it may have not existed. Her façade adapts to his expressions, doing her best to make this encounter as non-conflicting as possible. It is for the best after all.

"Brilliant actually. I have been here in Konoha for only a few days, and I finished surveying the borders. The Nara and Akamichi family have been doing a splendid job in securing the village. I am impressed at how you managed to replace the old foundation of the gates with more non-malleable stone. It is looking a lot stronger than the last time I was here." She manages to answer with an elated voice, feigning her smile as she gestures towards a nearby wooden bench for both of them to sit. As they make their way to the bench, she pretends that her left sandal was not bothering her, or that her ankle feels a little strange.

"Ah yes, thank you for a compliment. It definitely took some hard work, but Chōji insisted on making the work as sturdy as possible. Troublesome really." He says absentmindedly, having gone through this kind of conversation with other officials before, to the point that he has memorized what he usually says. Shikamaru notes that as they make their way to the bench, she is limping, but he recalls that the blonde does not wear high sandals on an everyday basis. So he ignores his concern, choosing not to look down on her feet, or be accused of having some sort of foot fetish. Or yet, even worse, lingering emotions for his ex-girlfriend.

"Everything is troublesome for you." The blonde teases lightly as she rests on the bench, patting the space beside her, telling him to sit down.

"Yeah well… not all the time." The man with piercing eyes mutters as he reluctantly sits next to her, but keeping at least a few inches of space for both of them.

Temari could tell that he is nervous; usually he wouldn't care if someone would comment on his aloofness. But he defends himself this time. Despite such an odd behaviour, the blue eyed young lady smiles at him. Shikamaru is being delicate around her, and she knows why. Both of them do. He is being kinder than usual; trying not to break what is already fragile. Trying to keep the charade that they have decided.

"It's a beautiful night isn't it?" The beautiful blonde woman suggests, looking at the starry night dreamily, basking at the bluish glow of the evening.

"Yes… yes it is." The handsome coal haired man projects, without even looking at the sky as she is. Choosing to gaze at the lady beside her, that is more inspiring than the night skies before them.

Both of them just sit there, forgetting the crowd and the lights nearby, forgetting that they are late for festivities with friends.

For now, forgetting time altogether.

.

* * *

.

KONOHA: Friday/Sakura Viewing Festival/**Kodai no Hanaki kōen (Ancient Flower Tree Park)/8:20 PM**

What is it about her face that he could not tire from gazing at, he could not tell. Perhaps it would be the frame of her face that is both strong yet gentle on the sides. Maybe it is because of her small cute nose that tempts him to touch it needlessly. Possibly, with great potential, it would be her eyes. Her beautiful glowing light green eyes that sparkle so vividly, that the night could only compliment such beauty. And then her hair, that is as soft and fragrant as the petals that surround them, glowing gently like fireflies yet prominent like wild fire. Surprisingly for Gaara, all those overwhelming features currently do not compare to her lips.

Her lips, that seems to tease him without mercy. When she pouts, making them full and emotive. When she nips them, showing insecurity. But most of all, when she smiles, making them curve flirtatiously.

The red head's fascination merely increases as he notices that her lips are moving more avidly than usual, confronting him so closely that he could almost touch it. Questioning his sanity, he closes his eyes a couple of times, recovering from his own day dream. He finds that the reason that her lips are moving is because she is trying to tell him something. When she touches his flustered face with her cool hand, his attention towards her grows in precise. He shivers due to elated emotions from her touch, surrendering himself to her. And when he does, he is able to hear her voice telling him: "Gaara-dear, are you okay?"

He merely nods in response, trying his best not to show his feelings of smitten. With care, he chooses to turn his head to the side than to look directly at her face, watching the moving light amidst the darkness. To distract himself from trying to steal a glance, he reflects on today's events. Closing his eyes to ponder on what has occurred in his life recently; he is rather determined to keep himself busy. Even though she strokes through the hair on his head, he manages to stay consistently calm, than anxious and overwhelmed by her touch.

"Mom… do you know that Homecoming event thing that they're talking about in school?" Gaara decides to ask, so as to relief her from unnecessary concern.

"Oh that gathering of Nin Alumni? Why yes, in fact, we received invitations yesterday. Why do you ask?" Sakura replies, mildly curious as to why her son is rather interested in such an activity.

"Well erm… Sarutobi mentioned to me that the guests are allowed to bring a partner with them… you know, a date?" The red head continues, hoping not to sound to embarrassed, fingering a blade of grass. "I was wondering… if you have no one to go with. If… I could be your date. What I'm saying is…" Gaara struggles, his brows furrowing as he finds the words that he wants to say. After mumbling through his sentences, he finally decides to confront her properly, facing her without leaving from his lying position. "Would you like to go out with me on Homecoming?" Sabaku no tells her directly, his face turning read as each second pass.

Sakura could not help but smile, having heard the odd request of her bashful son. She messes his hair playfully as she lightly laughs, amused but also flattered. "Of course I do." She tells him, accepting his offer.

"Really?" Gaara questions with elatedness, raising himself from his lying position in order to sit properly, his diopside eyes glowing more fervently tonight.

"Yes, I would love to go with you." The woman with pink hair assures him, kissing him on the cheek.

After a while of suppressing his emotions in public, the red head smiles without a care in the world. His facial expression is so odd and extraordinary to the point that people are staring as they pass by.

Unfortunately the smile is diminished quickly when Naruto decides to interfere the boy's moment, locking Gaara's head with an arm and then pulling him forcibly to stand.

"Alright, enough with the fluffiness. Since our lazy Shikamaru is running late again, we need an errand boy to buy us some Sake." The blonde big brother informs as he drags the boy away from his mother.

"What does that have to do with me?" The Kazekage questions as he watches helplessly at Sakura who waves playfully at him from where she sits, encouraging this rough playing by her colleague. Gaara then sighs, wishing that the monkey pulling him away without his consent would at least have one of the pink haired woman's mean roundhouse kicks. Instead, he must accept once again that he is acquainted with Uzumaki.

"Don't you get it Sake boy? You'll get us more Sake. We ran out of it since that Idiot Lee decided to drink all that we had. That buggy-eyed freak is currently running around naked as we speak, we can't beat him up if we wanted to. It's bad enough that he is embarrassing himself in public." Uzumaki explains with a shiver, pushing the red headed young man towards the stony pavement so as to get the boy to do their bidding.

Gaara glares at the mischievous blue eyed man, before he gives him his affirmation. "Fine. I'll do it. But on one condition, this is the only errand you'll make me do tonight old man. In fact, this will be the first and last thing I'd do for you. Ever." The Kazekage demands, knowing that by doing this deed, he can benefit in return. For one, if he gets them what they want, they could at least be quiet for a little while.

"Alright, alright. I get it. You do this for us, and you won't owe us anything." Naruto revises, as he stuffs the boy's hand with some change that he collected by all of his colleagues.

"I never owed you guys anything in the first pla-" The red head tries to correct, but is then interrupted by the blonde, who shoves a large empty clay jar on his arms.

The kazekage has no choice but to carry the barren Sake pot, or risk falling on his knees.

"Now get it! And don't come back here empty handed, you hear?" The annoying spiky blonde haired mildly drunk man bellows like the Kazekage is already at a far location, when the boy is really still in front of him.

Gaara sighs, ignoring the fact that the idiot spat on his face unnecessarily. Instead of protesting, he does as he is told; carrying the clay pot as he mutters to himself, walking towards the busy boulevards.

**.**

* * *

**.**

KONOHA: Friday/Sakura Viewing Festival**/ Sakura ōdōri (Cherry Blossom Boulevard)/ 8:30 PM**

It has taken some time, but they are able to take their meeting as civil as possible. In actuality, they are taking their interaction even more than that of casualness, and yet careful enough not to probe. Having sat on a comfortable bench, they have decided to continue with their conversation. At first, it is about the beauty and the random happenings of their surroundings, but then they venture into more dangerous topics with confidence as time wanes. For example, they are able to converse about accomplished missions and hilarious holidays with their friends, exacting the past without mentioning their own.

"We bought him all these crazy outfits, but we didn't have enough time to let him wear all of them. He's growing up so fast and all. It's too bad we couldn't get him to use that small toddler suit." Temari recalls.

"I can't imagine him wearing froggy pyjamas. But I can see him wearing an all-black suit. He seems to be the type. I mean, as a baby that is." Shikamaru comments, with a light laugh.

"He would look really handsome in an all-black suit, especially now that he's older. In fact, you look great in an all-black suit as well." The blonde woman tells Nara sheepishly. "It's too bad that the both of you would rather wear such clothes lying on a coffin. Girls would run wild if they ever see you on formal wear." The Suna Prime Minister adds, resting her chin on her hand as she contemplates on the idea.

"Well then, I'll take note of that. Never will I wear anything considered formal wear, or else I shall be trampled by crazy bothersome women." The man with a pointy ponytail says in a joking tone.

"Don't be ridiculous. You'd look so dashing in a suit. In fact, why won't you wear one on our homecoming? Don't worry, I'd definitely protect you from any girl who would dare to-" The blue eyed woman does not continue her statement, bringing her hand to cover her mouth. She says something very awkward, something that she used to say when they were still together.

Temari looks away from him abruptly, forcing her own face to look at the opposite side in order to hide her readable emotions. She then closes her eyes tightly, and then painfully grips the bench they are sitting in.

Shikamaru, in turn, loses his façade momentarily. For a second, he looks lost and very downcast. It is like a plan that he logically created, failed in front of him.

And there is nothing he can do to change the conclusion. They have reached a topic that they are trying to avoid: Their complicated relationship.

"I'm… I'm sorry." The blonde woman in a seaside inspired kimono mentions weakly, her suppressed emotions betraying her.

The black haired man beside her in a navy blue Yukata forms his lips tightly in response, as he thinks of the words he could say. He decides to comment discreetly… meaning not to take what she mentioned seriously.

It would be painful. So painful that as soon as she runs, he would hit his head on the trunk of a tree repeatedly for intentionally ignoring the existence of what they were. But he has no choice, he must ignore.

"Of course you would. You always have." Shikamaru tells her, with the best smile that he could give. To the point that his teeth are almost showing and the sides of his mouth are ready to flinch at any time.

When she turns to look at him once more, he is able to make his smile look seemingly unperturbed. The blonde woman chooses this time to look at him closely, reading him as much as she can. But she could read nothing. It is either he is very dense and uncaring of what they were, or he is faking his grief so perfectly that even a trained Suna Jounin can never detect anything odd about him.

Yes, he decides to continue with the charade. No matter that she has accidently brought their relationship into their conversation, or that she has already exposed some of her reserved expressions towards the detail.

Shikamaru is playing this act, like a game; and Temari is growing furious that he is treating her like a pawn.

Seeing that this meeting will continue to be a big farce, she could not contain herself anymore. She understands him more than a lot of people, and yet what he is doing right now is a complete anomaly.

Will he continue to avoid the subject? And why does he want to? The blonde young lady does not know, but she is tired of trying. And if this continues, her entrapped sentiments will get the better of her.

It is time for her to leave. Now. Or else, she will not be able to contain her grief in front of him any longer.

"Oh, look at the time! It is rather late. I'd better be going." The Suna Prime minister brings up, with an elated voice. She then collects herself, smoothing her robes and gripping some of her kimono's skirt, preparing to walk away and then sprint to freedom when she is able to do so without alarming him of such actions.

He watches her as she fumbles out of the bench. She appears to dislike staying around any longer. The beautiful woman then walks away, but is not walking towards the location of their friends and family.

"Temari-san." Shikamaru calls out to her respectfully. The blue eyed blonde ceases from leaving, wincing as she hears her name mentioned so formally, like they do not even have a friendship status together.

"Are you not going to meet up with Haruno and the others? They are at the opposite direction of where you are heading." The Konoha Chūnin informs, pointing precisely at the right route that she should go.

Slowly the Sand Kunoichi turns around, as she contemplates on a solid excuse. "Ah well, I decided that I will go home instead. It is rather late, and I have an appointment that is scheduled very early in the morning." The blonde lies, keeping face serene as possible. "Don't worry. I went around the festival with the others today, at an earlier hour." She reassures even more, so as not to make him feel self-conscious or guilty.

"Then why aren't you with them right now? Didn't you just mention to me that you just came from the Konoha Guest House?" Shikamaru carefully brings up, scratching his head numbly.

"I was running late when I arrived from surveying the borders, when I arrived, I was the only one who wasn't dressed in a Kimono. I told them to leave without me, and that I would catch up." Temari continues to explain falsely, mixing the truth with fiction. "I figured I could stay for a bit on the park, and then leave early. You know, just to show up. But, well… I bumped into you… and I guess I lost track of time." She tells him with a modest giggle. "Please tell them that I went home, so they won't wait for me." The blonde requests, before proceeding to what she wanted to do.

And that is, to get the hell out of the uncomfortably overwhelming, and painful situation, that they are in.

"Oh… Okay." Nara could only reply, at a loss of words. _**'It is an elaborate reason. Perhaps it is true.' **_The man with coal eyes hesitantly concludes.

"Thank you Shika… I mean, Nara-kun. Have a good evening." The young lady with moonlit robes tells him while bowing curtly.

As quick yet as calm as possible, she turns around. But for some reason, Sabaku no still manages to lose her balance. With a wobbly stride, her left sandal slips from her foot. But fortunately, she is able to save herself from a very rough fall, by supporting her upper torso with her arms outstretched to the ground. Although her hands are able to cushion the unpredicted collapse, her knees are inflicted without warning. The ground is rough with pebbles sticking out and odd holes that can cause scrapes, her skin cuts through the pavement like soft fruit brushed on a bed of nails. "Ouch." Temari merely reacts, as she regains herself.

She searches for her missing wooden slipper on the ground, only to find the strap of her footwear torn and destroyed.

"Are you alright?" Shikamaru asks her, quickly arriving at her side.

"I'm fine. Mediocre wounds, nothing to worry about." The blue-eyed woman replies.

"Here, let me help you." Nara offers his hand for her to balance herself. With great caution, the Suna Prime Minister takes his gesture, accepting his assistance.

With her hand on his, he envelopes her arm around his shoulders, in order for her to stand with his help. Holding on to each other, she is now able to move. They walk back towards the wooden bench that they are previously sitting in to assess Temari's condition. The blonde woman is rather relieved when they reached the seat, letting the furniture carry her weight. Her comforted nature is short lived, when the man who helped her decides to investigate the cause of her fall by bringing her left foot to rest on his bended knee. "Shi-shikamaru, what are you doing? I'm fine, it's just that-"

"Hold still." The Konoha Chūnin advises, examining her foot closely.

Due to his hold on her, the lady does not have a choice but to do as she is told; too flustered to move an inch, as he continues to hold her delicately.

"Um…" Temari mumbles, as long seconds wane on, wishing he would let her feet go so that she would not be so bothered by his touch.

"Your ankle is sprained, haven't you realized this earlier? It is turning blotchy red, and swelling up pretty bad. It's a good thing you sandal's strap tore off or you might have continued walking with that injury. You could have a fracture if it was not noticed in time." Shikamaru tells her in an alarmed tone, looking very anxious for her.

The blonde woman peers from her position herself to confirm her injury, looking rather surprised that she had such a sprain. "Really? Oh, I did not feel a thing. It must have been when I accidently crashed into you. I should have realized that I was walking rather funny. Well, that was forgetful of me." She reacts, a little irritated by the mild pain that she is now feeling from her ankle, but she does not panic.

"We have to get you to the hospital. Your ankle is sprained and your knees are bleeding. I'll call up for a medic and-" Shikamaru tells her, he is about to light a flare that would signal assistance, but he is interrupted.

"NO! No please don't! I don't need to go to the hospital. Honest. It's best I get to the guest house and just wait for Sakura there. I really don't want to impose any med-nin who are enjoying the occasion. Really, I'll be fine. The best medic in town will help me when I get home. So don't worry about it." Temari insists, standing up to leave just to make a point.

"But Temari, you're hurt!" The man with black spiked hair tells her in a more urgent tone, clearly not convinced by her explanation. So worried, that he forgets to include the honorific with her name.

At first the Sand sibling does not know what to do with his reaction, especially when he called her so informally like he used to when they were together. She is extremely glad that they are surrounded by darkness, because hearing him say her name in a concerned tone is making her eyes glisten. "I'll be fine, Shikamaru. I just need some rest." She insists gently, limping away from him with a few steps, wanting to keep his stare on her back than directly on her. She concludes that perhaps the reason she could not feel the pain on her ankle, is because he was so close. A little distance might let her know that her foot is truly immobile.

Nara watches her in defeat, knowing that reasoning with her is futile. She is always just as stubborn as he is. Knowing that resistance is pointless, he decides to give in with her demands. On one condition.

Without uttering a word, he goes in front of her, blocking her path. Temari watches with curiosity as he then turns his back on her, and then goes down on one knee, his hands gesturing for someone to be carried.

"Hop on, I'll carry you." Shikamaru simply states, not wanting to extend her time of standing with a lame leg.

"W-what? No, that is completely unnecessary!" The woman with a moonlit kimono declines, waving her hands in distress.

"Miss Temari, everything that I do recklessly is unnecessary. But I do it anyway. So you either hop on to my back voluntarily, or I will unnecessarily force you to do so." The man in tells her with authority.

The Suna Prime Minister is surprised to find that she is being treated like a child. Nara has never treated her so arrogantly before.

Without another word or protest, the blonde Sand Nin does as she is told.

**.**

* * *

**.**

KONOHA: Friday**/ Sakura ōdōri (Cherry Blossom Boulevard)/The Akatsuki Dungeon/A Local Bar/ 9:00 PM**

"My ideal girl would be someone who would actually commit, even though I have a lot of demands. Someone who doesn't care if I follow a dimwit or the fact that being an evil minion would not make a lot of money. I want a woman who is patient yet is able to scold me when needed. A person who sees my potential of one day surpassing my own master and one day aspire to be the conqueror of the world. She would like for me to transform into some disgusting beast, even if I take a chunk of human flesh to do so. In fact, even if that flesh would be that of my dead master. That kind of lady is someone I'd respect." Kabuto describes diligently.

Orochimaru and 'Toby' are staring at him like he is an anomaly, the whole time he explained about what kind of woman would be ideal for him.

The pale skinned snake man and the black robed masked dude look at each other first, before both of them reacted with a fit of laughter.

"Wahahaha! Are you ss-sss-sserious? There is no way a girl would love a guy like that! That guy is a psycho. If that woman exists, she'd be a psycho too!" The villain with black straight long hair comments. "Now that I think about it, Tsunade's assistant might actually sort of fit that ideal of yours. Since her blonde hottie boss is considered a psycho monster. Hmm, what was her name again? Shizune right?" Orochimaru suggests.

Having heard the woman's name made the spectacled blue haired assistant blush like a red tomato; to hide his obvious reaction, he pretends to gulp a large amount of Sake. "Hmph. How would you know? You don't have an ideal. All the girls with enormous breasts are perfect for you." Kabuto retorts in order to change the subject, letting the unconsumed alcohol drip from his chin.

"Au contraire, my dearest dear disciple. I do have an ideal woman." The snake-like person informs, stretching his arms before he begins his own description. "I want a woman who loves the ambition of the man he loves, to the point that she would give her life in order to pursue his dreams. A yummy girl who is curvaceously fatty on the side, with large squishy soft boobs of course. Someone who has a weakness I can manipulate easily, like blood or something like that. She enjoys giving trinkets from time to time, like a useless string of shiny rocks or a rat. She should enjoy slimy things as pets, like a slug, snake… or me!" Orochimaru says openly.

"Huh. You know what, that sort of description kinda sounds like Tsunade-sensei." The blue haired disciple points out.

"Why yes, yes it does! Ahh, lucky for me, I shall be seeing her soon in hour's time." Orochimaru agrees shamelessly, looking love struck. "What about you 'Toby'? Who's your ideal woman?" He asks the bartender.

"Me? Ah well, my ideal girl is surprisingly very similar to you guys. The only difference I guess would be that she'd love me even though I wear a mask all day." Toby replies, polishing a shot glass.

His two foreign costumers agree at such a description, nodding their heads with empathy.

"Yeah, if a girl doesn't love your mask, then she's not for you." Kabuto adds, as some sort of advice.

"Indeed, women love what they see, more than anything. It just wouldn't be the same if you take your mask off. But then again, you don't use that mask everyday right?" Orochimaru asks.

Before 'Toby' could answer, another costumer enters the Akatsuki bar. To their surprise, the red head guest looks like a minor.

The boy walks towards their table, and then confronts the bartender. The teenager then hands a large Sake clay pot to Toby who proceeds to refilling the container while two of the other costumers decide to divert their attention on the red headed young man who made himself comfortable at the chair that is two seats next to them. Orochimaru gives his servant a devilish grin, while Kabuto replies to his master's expression by raising his amused brow and a grunt of agreement. With that, the snake villain decides to entertain this odd event. "Say young man, aren't you a bit too young to consume all that Sake?" The Sanin questions.

"It's not for me. It's for my idiotic monkey friends who want to squander their money just to make a fool of themselves." The Kazekage explains passively.

The pale undead man's smirk becomes more prominent from hearing such words. "You seem a little peeved with your monkey friends, kid." He suggests, wanting to see the boy's reaction.

"Yeah well, they irritate me. They annoy me and they never leave me alone." Gaara complains, folding his arms in frustration. "But they're okay." The red head added meekly.

"Interessssting." Orochimaru comments while rubbing his scaly chin, quite intrigued by the boy's response. "You look like a fine straight forward young man. Why, you remind me somewhat of my son! Perhaps you could contribute with a subject that we were discussing?" The playful master suggests. "You see, we were talking about our ideal women. Do you have your own ideal woman in mind?" He asks with a toothy grin.

The young Kazekage furrows his brow, thinking seriously of the question. "An ideal woman, huh…" Gaara repeats for himself, while picking out a cherry blossom that dangled from the hair of his head. Holding the petal on his hand, he touches it gently. A smile forming on his face. "Someone like my mom I guess." The red head simply answers, satisfied with his reply.

The two foreigners watch closely at the boy's facial expression, intrigued that he would make so many emotions from that one lopsided smirk. "Fascinating…" The pale sickly looking man expresses.

"It seems that you have found that ideal woman of yours, judging from that grin." Kabuto suggests, making the boy consciously aware of his exposed feelings.

"You could say that." The red head could only offer, scratching his head as he yearns to be on his mother's side from having such a particular conversation.

"Cheers to this young lad here! For finding his girl at such an early age! May he have the best of luck, in courting his special lady!" Orochimaru announces, raising his glass to what he has proclaimed.

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KONOHA: Friday/ Sakura Viewing Festival**/Kodai no Hanaki kōen (Ancient Flower Tree Park)/9:15 PM**

The pink haired lady looks at her hot tea with great concentration. She holds her drink cautiously, the sleeves of her kimono carries the hot clay that carries the liquid. She admires the forest colour of the steamy water, reminding her of the cool lush deciduous forests that are located just behind the village. She allows herself to be immersed in a deep trance, watching as her tea changes colour when reflected by the moonlight. Her solitude continues, until her blonde long haired friend decides to interrupt her concentration by slapping her hard on the back with a hand. "Ino! Don't startle me like that!" Sakura complains openly.

"You have been staring at that cup for fifteen minutes! Is there something bothering you?" Yamanaka asks with concern and mild irritation, finding that Haruno was not listening to their conversation the whole time.

"Oh…um sorry. I guess I was a little distracted." Sakura apologizes, scratching her head.

The blonde with a long ponytail sighs, before taking the metal kettle that was hanging above the bonfire. "Are you worried that little Gaara might not be able to find his way back?" The Konoha nin with blue irises asks, deciding not to continue with their previous topic of Kiba being such a prick for eating the flowers that he is supposed to give to her on their date.

"No, it's not that. But, I am worried for someone. Temari did not yet arrive. I am afraid that something might have happened to her…" Sakura ponders, hoping that the Suna Prime Minister is all right.

"Oh don't worry about her. She can defend herself just fine! Actually, Shikamaru did not arrive yet as well. Perhaps they met each other on the way here and decided to take their time." Ino suggests playfully, taking her friend's cup to replace the now lukewarm tea with a fresh hot brew. The woman with light green irises watches as Ino pours the liquid onto her cup, trying to distract herself.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Haruno replies with a seemingly more relieved face. But as soon as the long haired blonde's attention is elsewhere, Sakura's anxiousness increased even more after hearing what her fellow medic absentmindedly insinuated. "But if perhaps… the two of them met. It could be tragic." She deciphers with a soft voice, thinking of the consequences from such an unexpected meeting.

"Sakura look at your cup!" Her blonde friend raves, pointing at the fresh tea that she is holding. Hearing sound of Yamanaka's voice, Haruno then shakes her head, disappointed at herself for thinking so negatively.

She focuses her attention at what Ino is pointing, and finds a small twig floating on her hot drink. "That means a chance of good fortune, or a fated meeting!" The woman with a ponytail predicts happily.

But then the small stick started to lose buoyancy fast, desperately bobbing on the water a few times before deciding to drown with the rest of the tea residue in the depths of her tea.

Yamanaka gasps, momentarily bringing her hand on her gaping mouth. "I guess I was wrong… That's quite ominous. What does that mean?" The blue eyes woman ponders.

"It means a tragedy… or a chance of separation. Either way… it's not a good sign." Sakura predicts herself, before laughing nervously in order to lighten the negative mood.

Her blonde friend laughs with her, already treating such a random thing as a superstition. Haruno does as well. But she somehow, could not remove the mild nagging feeling of dread for the rest of the evening.

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KONOHA: Friday**/Hiroshi Boulevard**/**Hikokomori District**/**Nearby the Kanto River Bridge/ 9:30 PM**

"Miss Temari, everything that I do recklessly is unnecessary. But I do it anyway. So you either hop on to my back voluntarily, or I will unnecessarily force you to do so." Temari repeats teasingly. "I must say Nara, I didn't know you could be so bossy towards me. In fact, I wouldn't call that as a command, it was more like a threat." She continues taunting the man who is currently carrying her to her destination.

"Yeah well, you left me no choice. It's not like you're going to accept the offer if no consequences were stated." Shikamaru explains, careful with his steps as the wooden bridge that they have to cross.

It has been awkward at first, as they have quietly walked to the direction of the guest house. She has tried to keep a distance, her hand on his shoulders to avoid leaning unnecessarily and her back as straight. She could tell that he is just as conscious, since his back is damp with sweat and his hands are trembling with difficulty. Still, Nara carries her without complaining, keeping his steps careful so as not to make her fall. Treating her so delicately. Although it has seemed to be suffocating a while ago, Temari could not help but laugh at that comment. Her arms are more relaxed around his shoulders, her legs relaxed than tensed as they are being carried.

But being comfortable, is not going to keep their troubles away. Soon her effortless smile begins to disappear, as the memories of their past has begun to haunt her.

"Shikamaru-kun…" She calls on to him with his first name, her eyes are sadder when she feels him stay rigid for a moment, having heard her say his name in such a manner.

"Hm…?" Nara merely replies, not wanting to utter more than necessary, not wanting her to hear his emotions.

"Do you remember the last time that you carried me on your back?" The beautiful blonde asks, her breath brushing the hair close to his neck. It takes him a while to give his reply.

"Of course I do, it was back when we were at our second mission together. I exhausted my energy to use the shadow technique, so I had to carry you on my own." Shikamaru tells her, without difficulty.

Having heard that, she looks up at the sky to question the stars. But she couldn't find the answer. She then smiles, a different kind of smile. A smile of bitter irony. A scoffing grin towards a pleasant evening.

"Put me down." The blue eyed sand nin demands.

"What…? Why?" Nara questions, wondering if what she said is true.

"I said put me down! Now!" The blonde persists in an angry manner, hitting him in the back with her fists in order to get her way.

The young man with a pointy ponytail attempts to bring her down gently, slowly letting her feet touch the ground. But she does not want to accept his kindness, somewhat pushing him away as she reaches the earth.

"What the… what is wrong with you? Have you forgotten that you have a sprained ankle, do you really want to get yourself seriously injured?" Shikamaru scolds the lady who tries to walk away on her own.

As soon as she reaches an ample distance away from him, his eyes on her back, she stops without turning back.

"That wasn't the last time that you carried me on your back…" Temari says in a dangerously hollow voice.

"The last time…? Temari-san, that is not something we should be concerned about now. That's it. I will contact a medic. Your condition will only continue to-" The Konoha Chunin is then interrupted.

"The last time you carried me on your back was on our fourth mission. I was exhausted and I did not get much sleep, so you offered to carry me. I asked if you would use your shadow technique. But you insisted that I ride on your back instead. And so I did. I accepted, thinking that you would give up sooner or later." She tells this as she tries to walk on her own, limping towards the bridge.

Alarmed that she is moving, he goes to her side to at least take her arm in order to support her. But she declines, swiping his hand off before he could try.

"But we climbed a mountain… and then another… And you didn't stop." She explained, wiping tears with her sleeve. "I asked you if you needed some rest. And then you told me no, that it's better this way. After some time, you then… you asked me if I wanted to go out with you sometime… and I said… I said yes." Temari says, resting her forehead with her quivering hand. "And then you sighed, saying that asking me out without stuttering was the most difficult thing that you have done. You carried me because you didn't want me to see your blushing face, and it took you a while because you were so nervous." The blonde says sentimentally.

Before Shikamaru could utter a word, she turns around and walks toward the young Konoha nin until she sees him face to face. Only inches apart.

"And then I kissed you on the forehead. You didn't say a word. You were so flustered that your face looked like a red tomato. Don't you remember that?" She questions, searching through his obsidian eyes.

At first, his eyes are storming with emotion. But it did not take long for him to quell his feelings back to transparency. The blonde turns her back on him once again, and then resumes her leave.

He takes a few steps towards her. But this time, he did not follow.

She then stops at the middle of the bridge, close enough for him to hear yet far enough for him not to intervene.

"Why are you trying to forget what we were…? Why are you trying to forget me?" She says with a broken smile, before she leaves without turning back once more.

And so Shikamaru is left to stand alone at the other side of the bridge, forced to watch as she makes her way to the house without his help, keeping his hands balled tightly painful fists until he sees her close the doors with difficulty due to her injury. He unclenches his jaw, seeing that keeping an unbothered stance is not necessary anymore. He weakly walks to, and then leans at, one post of the bridge. With feverish hands, he takes his lighter and burns a cigar. Nara then blows a cloud of smoke weakly, watching the fireflies floating in front of him while listening to the empathetic song of the crickets and slow moving waters.

He breathes in his drug once again, taking in the nicotine generously, before sighing clouds of his agony to taint the night.

"You kissed me on the cheek. Not on the forehead." He says with wretchedness, knowing full well that she is no longer around to hear him.

"You troublesome woman." He whispers meaninglessly to the air, trying to convince himself. Wanting to mean his description of her.

But she isn't. The girl he loved and lost has never been troublesome. She is not a troublesome woman to him at all.

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* * *

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KONOHA: Friday**/ Sakura ōdōri (Cherry Blossom Boulevard)/The Akatsuki Dungeon/A Local Bar/ 9:45 PM**

"I am afraid that you coming here in Konoha is not possible, Itachi Uchiha-san." Tobi informs his fellow Akatsuki member on the phone, trying his best not to make his voice loud enough to be heard by others.

"What do you mean? You have got to be kidding me. I'm already here. I am standing close to the front gate as we speak." The raven haired man with red irises complains from his hidden location.

"I apologize. But it is for your benefit that you do not enter the village. I have customers here who have informed me that your younger brother will be arriving soon. There is a great possibility that he is already around the vicinity. It is best you come around another day. Get it? Rain, rain, go away, come again another day? Yes, I know I'm funny. But comedy aside, you must leave. Now." The bartender informs his colleague.

"Are those costumers of yours valid resources, to that kind of information? I though Sasuke is on a mission by his snake-of-a-master?" Itachi questions.

"Yes, my two costumers are MORE than valid to confirm such information." Tobi affirms, the laughing noises of his guests are roaring loudly at the background.

The S-rank missing nin groans, having realized what the bar owner meant by his foolishly valid informants.

"Come on Tobi, isn't there something you can do? It is of my interest to be in Konoha for the time being. I have things to attend to. I wanted to see the cherry blossom at night and eat Ichiraku Ramen." The concealed man with odd marks on his face complains openly, rustling behind the bushes without a care that he might be found by the Jounin that survey the gates.

"My, my, aren't we childishly moody tonight. Tell me Itachi-san, are you having your period? Or is that what they call P.M.S-ing? I didn't know you have such odd taste." The man with an orange mask expresses.

"Shut up you one-eyed freak. Or I'll start another fight with you and the other members again. I want to enter the village. And I want to, over my dead clan's bodies." The former Konoha Anbu demands.

"Alright, alright. Don't be such a female. I'll find a way, but it will take some time. Stay put and don't do something stupid. You can enter the village, but under embarrassing circumstances such as wearing a silly mascot costume from my shop if you have to. Do you still want to come here anyway?" The man with a clay mask and black hair barters, still keeping his voice down.

At first Itachi is hesitant, but he has no choice but to accept the Akatsuki leader's terms. "Alright. I'll do it. But when I get there, you better treat me with your special green tea wagashis and a pot of Mugicha." The Uchiha accepts, craving for some sweet rice cakes and cold barley tea.

"Deal." The man with black robes and red rimmed cloud prints simply confirms, before hanging up in order to tend his costumers at the other side of the wall.

Tobi takes another wine glass to polish, before confronting the red head boy who waits patiently for his return. "Anything else you need?" He asks the young Kazekage.

"No thanks. I'm good." Gaara answers, raising the already refilled clay vat that he is going to give his big brothers. He takes the money stuffed from his front pocket and gives it to the bartender. "I don't want to stay here any longer anyway. Although I am a tourist myself, your two foreign costumers over there are just plain crazy." The teenager adds, pointing at the direction of Orochimaru and Kabuto by jerking his head to their side.

"Oh really? How so?" The Akatsuki leader asks the boy.

"They asked me odd questions, like whether I have a healthy bowel movement or if I have a tail or two… they even asked whether I died and then came back to life. Isn't that weird?" The red head points out, before standing out of his seat, and putting the large jar wrapped in cloth behind his back.

"Why yes, that is weird." The man with one black eye carved on his mask agrees, nodding while he resumes wiping another wine glass dry.

"Well, see you later." Gaara simply mentions as a goodbye, adjusting the strap of his makeshift gourd as he leaves.

"Thank you, and do come again dear costumer!" Tobi waves with the cloth that he uses to polish his glass, seeing the boy lift the curtain covering of the open doors and leaving the shop.

.

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KONOHA: Friday**/ Sakura ōdōri (Cherry Blossom Boulevard)/9:50 PM**

"What a couple of nut jobs. Me having a tail? Psh…" Gaara tells himself as he walks briskly back towards the festival, brushing off such a ridiculous encounter. At the back of his mind though, he questions whether those loony people where truly out of their minds. Technically, he really does have a tail in beast form. Is it possible that those two actually know that he is the Shukaku? Or a Jinchūriki?

He pauses at the middle of the path, to seriously think of the possibility.

_**Nah. **_He concludes, thinking that that meeting potential enemies in such a manner is just not likely. Plus, they are too wacky to be villains.

Resuming his travel, he spots Shikamaru Nara walking at the opposite side of the road, who appears to be headed at the same location that he is going. The older yet young superior is looking more miserable than usual. In fact, he looks rather devastated with his back tremendously low and his fisted hands on his pockets. He is even walking slower than normal, if that is even possible.

The revered Konoha Chūnin has obviously a lot on his mind, because he does not even notice the red head calling out to him from the other side of the street.

"He doesn't look too good." The kazekage describes, but does not cross over to the path of Nara in order to ask what is wrong. Knowing that they he will be meeting him soon when they reach the park.

Gaara then resumes with his walk, wanting to get to his destination as soon as possible. But when he turns to assume his position, he is blindsided by a man's torso that he did not see coming.

The red head is fast losing his balance since the Sake jar is heavy for his weight; he is unable to sustain himself.

He is about to fall on the floor, which will consequently make the large container break into pieces. But then the stranger who he collided with grabs him by the shoulders, and then pulls him back to stand.

Relieved that he is able to avoid a fall that would have forced him to go back to that bar to order more Sake, he is about to thank whoever stopped him but he could not find the words.

There is something about the stranger in front of him, something that is holding his tongue. As the unknown man grips his shoulders, he has this strong urge to swipe the person's hands off him.

"Whoa, there kid, you should look at where you are going." The person advises the boy like any normal human would.

This guy may be pleasant, having helped him from falling and all. But Gaara doesn't see it that way.

Without even looking directly at the unfamiliar person's face, he could tell that there is something wrong. Something very, very wrong about the individual.

His skin crawls, by merely staying near this being. His spine sends needles of alertness, his pupils constrict, and his feet are readying to leap at any moment when needed to do so.

**Out of nowhere, the beast within him growls. A growl of pure vicious spite.**

The one tailed Jinchūriki despises this individual immensely that it would actually voice out its distinct disgust, even though the boy is still conscious.

The Shukaku has never intervened in such a way before, not to his knowledge anyway. Certainly not in this current life. Perhaps the past. Still, it is rare for the animal to summon itself on its own.

The monster in him is telling him to be wary. Advising him to take a defense stance, or mangle the unknown man to the point of disability. To do something, something to get this guy out of its face.

_**Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. KILL HIM. KILL HIM. KILL HIM. KILL HIM! KILL KILL KILL!**_

"STOP!" Gaara orders the beast out loud, pushing the stranger away from him as much as he can to quell the monster's anger and to prevent him from truly attacking the person.

Having the space that he needs, he breathes in and out to control himself. Clenching and unclenching his fists. Slowly, but surely, he is able to calm himself and the Shukaku; to tone down from a murdering intent, into a mere sadist demeanour. Satisfied that he won't be maiming anyone anytime soon, he looks at the stranger, hoping he can look at the guy on the eyes instead of looking at the man's neck that can break easily.

"You have super strength there, buddy, managed to push me a good feet away." The unknown person chuckles while removing his straw hat from his head.

"Sorry… I thought you were… an enemy." Gaara replies, trying limit his or words or risk saying something nasty.

He has dark blue hair that matches his onyx eyes. But when he blinked, his seemingly normal irises flashes into a blood red hue with black detail. His skin is pale, but not like the sickly kind of colour that the snake like guy in the bar had. His complexion is adamant and cold like stone. He wears worn out battle footwear; and his robes are dull grey with dark violet straps, making him stand out even more. He loomed in front of the young kazekage, looking so threatening with such a confident gait. And he had the right to do so. His level is almost identical with that of Naruto Uzumaki. But unlike the old man, his energy is the ill-omened kind.

An individual that screams death and destruction. He is someone who must not be crossed on purpose, unless you need to defend yourself or someone important to you.

"That's all right. I give that impression a lot. I'm very outgoing actually, no need to apologize." The stranger assures, patting the young man lightly on the shoulder this time. But before he leaves, he leans closer to the boy, his welcoming smile turning into a menacing grin. "But that does not mean that you should be comfortable around me. I could still hurt you." He suggests, enjoying the reaction of the teenager beside him before continuing with the direction that he is going. "Or at least, somebody important to you." The man adds, his smirk looking more maniacal, having taken the boy's full attention from that last comment.

Gaara glares at the man, until he could only see the silhouette of his back, until he is sure that the unfamiliar person's energy does not exist among the crowd before him. Even though the man left, the kazekage could still recall the immeasurable hatred that he had for the individual and the tension of dealing with someone who is so treacherously disturbing. He had those eyes, those eyes that crave blood. Eyes that reflect his own. Unlike himself, that man has nothing to live for but revenge and death. At a time, he knows that he was just like him, but unlike him he found the light. That stranger persists to dwell on the darkness by choice.

He is a dangerous man. Whoever he is. And if they ever cross paths again, it would be on a battle field; or maybe, as the stranger suggested, when he needs to protect himself or the person who he finds important.

The red head is sure about one thing. If that kind of guy tries to touch her, he will have that stranger's head.

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* * *

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KONOHA: Friday**/ Sakura ōdōri (Cherry Blossom Boulevard)/The Akatsuki Dungeon/A Local Bar/ 10:00 PM**

"Konbanwa…" The young man with pale robes lazily greets good evening to the people who are inside the shop, not even bothering to look at them as he enters.

"Why hello there, costumer-san, what would you like to have? Your first drink is on the house!" Tobi replies happily, directing him to a vacant seat next to his two other foreign guests.

Before the ex-Konoha nin answers the bartender, he sighs loudly. "It seems that this village is still the same since I left. The people are still oblivious and clueless." He comments, scratching the back of his head, his eyes flicker a red hue before they turn back into a deep blue colour. Having said his remark of his old hometown, he faces the owner of the shop. Instantly he is intrigued by Tobi's appearance. He glares critically at the masked man on the other side of the counter, deliberating how this mere wine seller is making quite an impression on him. "You look very familiar… do I know you from somewhere?" He asks the man in black robes.

"Oh no, I don't think we ever met. Perhaps you are familiar with my costume, a lot of the locals dress up this way at the festival." Tobi explains, looking easy-going as usual, filling his cabinet with his polished glass.

"Hmmm… People sell Akatsuki robes these days…? Looks quite authentic to me.." The man in pale robes reacts, rubbing his chin with his fingers while assessing the individual before him. After a minute or two, his regains his laid back stance, shrugging his suspicions off. "Who cares. It's not like Akatsuki would foolishly come around here with such obvious clothing. One Taruzake please." He tells Tobi, ordering his drink as well.

**Uchiha Sasuke.** A rouge Konoha Nin who decided to leave the village in order to seek out revenge for the slaughtering of his clan. Other than his brother of whom he despises with a passion, he has no family left. He believes that killing Itachi Uchiha is the sole purpose of his life. Anything beyond that would have to wait. There was a time that he considered Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura as his family. But his strong ambition for blood made him realize that he requires more than what his past teammates could deliver. With such a dangerous past and insane rationality, women still manage to flock like mindless sheep around him.

Oddly enough, he enjoys games; especially when it comes to toying with someone's emotions. He considers himself a sadist, but not as sadistic as his master.

"Heeeey! There he is! Sasuke, my son! Over here!" Orochimaru waves wildly at the brooding man who just entered the shop.

Embarrassed, Uchiha takes his seat with the villainous man, while covering his face. He then grabs the snake creature on the head and rams the skull on the long table in front of him.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Do you have any idea how much trouble your stupidity has cost me? Can't you say hello like a normal person?" Sasuke scolds the sickly man with long hair.

"I'm just a normal father who misses his son. Didn't you miss me after being separated for a long time? You're so cruel to your own Papa… Sniff, sniff." Says the evil man who's face is dragged to the table.

At this point, a large irritated nerve is showing prominently on the far side of Uchiha's forehead. Slowly he lifts Orochimaru's head, only to smack it once again at the surface of the counter.

"What took you so long?" Kabuto questions at the other seat next to their struggling master, looking quite displeased that his fellow disciple does not arrive at the time that was intended.

"Didn't I tell you that I had to run some errands?" The man with deep blue hair explains patiently, taking the drink that is offered to him without giving the bartender a second glance.

"Hmph, errands, you say. Last time we asked you to do an errand; you collected more body parts than necessary. What 'errands' are you overexerting yourself this time?" The man with glasses asks.

"Oh you know, the usual. Finding out where my brother's location is, looking for information on the Akatsuki, while doing illegal activity for the various Kages on the side." Sasuke answers readily.

"Illegal activities for various Kages? That's new. What village Kage are you working for?" The light blue haired man questions casually, interested at the new topic the Uchiha mentions.

"That's classified information." The ex-Konoha Nin replied with a grin. Kabuto rolls his eyes, deciding to continue his drink instead of wondering who exactly is Uchiha working part-time for.

"Moving on to something more interesting. I just saw a very unusual red haired boy on my way here." Sasuke brings up, his smirk growing more and more prominent.

"Oh really? The young man was just here five or ten minutes ago. Quite a fascinating specimen of study, isn't he?" Orochimaru contributes, while he stretches his strained neck inhumanely.

"Why yes, yes he is. The red head will be just as fun to torment as well." The young Uchiha comments, before raising his glass of aged sake to the rest of the night and the future that will progress.

**.**

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**Gaara's Current Age: 16 Years Old**

**Time since Redevelopment: Four Months and five days**

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**Author and Beta reader's Notes:**

**Avrille Nordlicht: **Hello! I know I promised that I would get this chapter done by the summer, but my life has been quite sporadic these past months. I finally graduated, moved back to the Philippines, and been whisked away almost immediately to my new and first official permanent job. I've been adjusting ever since, and I will be continuing to do so for a while. Especially since, I plan to continue my masters or another bachelor. Either way, I've been busy. Anyway, other than that, I decided to concentrate on my other story. So yes, it will take some time before I update again. Please be forgiving and patient. Thanks!

**Rei Haruno:** Hello there, too! Our favourite fic is back from a hiatus of four months! Things start to escalate as Sasuke arrives in town while meeting Gaara on the way! Now, the redhead teen has more problems to think about and address! Suspense grows as the (terribly funny and hilarious) villains are in Konoha in more ways than one! What was Sakura's twig in tea means and what is really going to happen! See ya at the next chapter! ^^

**Please be patient because we love you and love needs time to show and be validated! Ciao!**

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Beta Reader: Rei Haruno - Sakura no Imooto/Forum: The Weed Garden/6th Edition: 2012-08-04/Review ergo Inspiration

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